Mining Incidents

#3: 96 MSHA citations Coal

Bubba Coal Co Inc · Underground
Controlled by Mike Newsome
Eastern, Floyd County, KY  ·  Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 1519061

#3 has $29K in proposed MSHA penalties and $29K outstanding across 2 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
2
Years on record
2006
Latest incident
Nov 2006
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2006
96
citations
39
significant & substantial
$29,265
proposed penalties
$104
paid to date
0% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $29,161 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2006
13
inspections on record
472
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: 472 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

#3 has $29K in proposed MSHA penalties and $29K outstanding across 2 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.
$29K
proposed penalties
$29K
current assessed
$104
paid to date
$29K
outstanding
89 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $326 in penalties contested before the Commission, $0 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2008-10-07.
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.
43.3%
significant & substantial
7.8%
high negligence or reckless
43.3%
reasonably likely or greater
6.7%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 11.1% low, 81.1% moderate, 7.8% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
When citations were contested
Contesting a citation before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission is a lawful right. These figures state the public outcomes of that process, from MSHA's Contested Violations file.
2 citations taken to the federal commission · 2% of citations on record
  • Stood as issued 1 · 50%
  • Vacated or withdrawn 1 · 50%
0%
S&S designation survived the contest
Counts a Significant & Substantial citation as surviving when a settlement or judge's decision kept the designation, or the contest was dismissed or defaulted so the citation stands as issued. Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.
of 1 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
100%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$326 proposed, $0 after decisions · industry: 39%
Source: MSHA Contested Violations file (public record), updated weekly. A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record. Latest contest filed 2008-03-05.
Contested penalties
A reduction or dismissal at the Commission is a lawful outcome of contesting a proposed penalty. Figures are the proposed amount and the amount upheld in the docket's decision.
Largest penalties this mine contested before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, with the outcome on record.
Docket Decision Judge Year Proposed / upheld
KENT 2008-678 Dismissal Lesnick 2010 $254 → $0
KENT 2008-679 Withdrawal Lesnick 2009 $72 → $0
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at #3 shows 100% of 39 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: 2008-01-21, 18 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
39
samples
1.47
dust max (mg/m3)
16 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 23 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CUTTING MACHINE OPERATOR22
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR4
  • COAL DRILL OPERATOR2

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: 2007-10-22, 18 years ago
0%
over PEL
12
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR4
  • COAL DRILL OPERATOR2
  • CUTTING MACHINE OPERATOR2
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% 6
2007 100% 33
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. Ro-Co Resources Inc. 2006 to 2007
  2. Bubba Coal Co Inc 2007 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Coal production is reported quarterly and lags the current period; the most recent quarters may be incomplete.
Year Employees Coal produced (tons)
2008 23 16,357
2007 10 39,359
2006 2
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

#3 sits in Floyd County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 4.4% 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.
Floyd County, Kentucky · Population 35,342
4.4%
Mining share of county employment
$41,582
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
2008 Q1 7,130 18 5 2524.5
2007 Q4 8,195 29 15 3538.7
2007 Q3 7,538 40 17 5306.4
2007 Q2 288 1 1 3472.2
2007 Q1 164 2 0 12195.1
2006 Q4 57 4 1 70175.4
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

2 on file

2006 · 2 incidents

November 24, 2006 KY · Coal superintendent HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Ro-Co Resources Inc. · Caught in, under or between (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Mine canopy collapsed after unloading, trapping two individuals between two beams.

November 24, 2006 KY · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Ro-Co Resources Inc. · Caught in, under or between (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Erecting after unloading steel mine canopy, canopy collapsed trapping two individuals under second rail.