Mining Incidents

#2 Washer: 31 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by Charles D Mullins
Appalachia, Wise County, VA  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 4407095

#2 Washer has $3K in proposed MSHA penalties and $159 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
2004
Latest incident
Aug 2004
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2004
31
citations
12
significant & substantial
$2,714
proposed penalties
$2,555
paid to date
94% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $159 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2004
28
inspections on record
482
inspection hours
n/a
citations per 100 inspection hours
This rate is recorded citations divided by MSHA inspection hours, per 100 hours. It reflects inspection effort, not mine size or production.
Rate withheld: 482 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

#2 Washer has $3K in proposed MSHA penalties and $159 outstanding across 0 contested dockets.

Penalty disposition
Differences between proposed and paid penalties reflect both settlements and conference reductions and amounts still owed. Outstanding is the balance currently owed.
$3K
proposed penalties
$3K
current assessed
$3K
paid to date
$159
outstanding
31 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2008-03-05.
Source: MSHA assessed-violations and conference/litigation data, updated weekly.
Violation severity profile
Shares are computed over citations that carry the MSHA gravity and negligence coding; a small share of records are uncoded.
38.7%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
38.7%
reasonably likely or greater
41.9%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 19.4% low, 80.6% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at #2 Washer shows 100% of 57 respirable coal dust samples met the 1.5 mg/m3 standard.

Health sampling
A sample is a point in time compliance measurement, not an individual exposure history. These figures describe MSHA sampling records and do not establish causation or personal dose.

Respirable coal dust
Respirable coal dust and silica figures cover coal facilities. Dust compliance is measured against the current 1.5 mg/m3 standard; samples predating the 2014 standard are included, so compliance rates are a coarse historical signal.

Last sampled: 2008-06-16, 18 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
57
samples
0.70
dust max (mg/m3)
34 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 23 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE37
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER9
  • TIPPLE OPERATOR3

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2004-05-05, 22 years ago
6.4
silica avg (%)
1
samples
6.4
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE1

Noise
The share counts noise samples whose measured dose exceeded the 90 dBA permissible exposure limit. It describes the sampled workplace, not what reached the miner's ear: hearing conservation programs and the hearing protection worn during the shift are recorded separately and are not reflected here.

Last sampled: 2007-06-13, 19 years ago
0%
over PEL
10
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER3
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE3
  • WASHER OPERATOR3
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Health sampling trend
A sample is a point in time compliance measurement, not an individual exposure history. These figures describe MSHA sampling records and do not establish causation or personal dose.
Respirable coal dust by year
Respirable coal dust and silica figures cover coal facilities. Dust compliance is measured against the current 1.5 mg/m3 standard; samples predating the 2014 standard are included, so compliance rates are a coarse historical signal.
Year within 1.5 mg/m3 samples
2008 100% 9
2007 100% 12
2006 100% 12
2005 100% 21
2004 100% 3
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2007 0% 3
2006 0% 3
2004 0% 4
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. Commonwealth Mining Corporation No. 2 2004 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2009 0
2008 5
2007 6
2006 5
2005 6
2004 5
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

#2 Washer sits in Wise County, Virginia, where the Census mining category is 5.9% of county employment.

Local economic context
County figures come from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 5-year pooled estimates, so the 2023 vintage covers 2019 through 2023. The Census category is 'mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction', which is broader than MSHA jurisdiction and includes oil and gas workers no mine employs. These figures describe the surrounding county, not this mine, and are not a factor in any specific incident.
Wise County, Virginia · Population 35,727
5.9%
Mining share of county employment
$50,740
Median household income
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates.
Quarterly safety rates
Citations per million reported employee-hours. Rates begin in 2000, when MSHA's quarterly employment data starts; earlier incidents are counted but cannot be rate-adjusted. Quarters under 100,000 reported hours are greyed: too few hours for a stable rate.
Citations per million employee-hours, as reported to MSHA
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2009 Q3 0 0 0
2009 Q2 0 0 0
2009 Q1 0 0 0
2008 Q4 1,315 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 2,730 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 3,385 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 3,379 1 0 295.9
2007 Q4 3,145 0 0 0.0
Show 14 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2007 Q3 3,483 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 4,226 5 2 1183.2
2007 Q1 3,702 3 0 810.4
2006 Q4 3,815 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 3,560 4 0 1123.6
2006 Q2 3,518 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 3,723 4 2 1074.4
2005 Q4 3,362 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 3,480 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 4,139 2 2 483.2
2005 Q1 3,579 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 3,396 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 2,839 2 1 704.5
2004 Q2 3,385 5 3 1477.1
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2004 · 1 incident

August 11, 2004 VA · Coal haul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driver POWERED HAULAGE
Commonwealth Mining Corporation No. 2 · Struck against stationary object

EE WAS OPERATING VOLVO A25 TRUCK, GOING DOWN AN INCLINE. NO ONE KNOWS WHY, BUT EE JUMPED OUT OF TRUCK. UPON HITTING THE GROUND, EE BROKE HIS ANKLE, FRACTURED HIS HIP, AND SUSTAINED A CONCUSSION. WE ARE ASSUMING THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED, SINCE EE COULD NOT REMEMBER THE ACCIDENT.