Mining Incidents

#5: 141 MSHA citations Coal

Hunter Mining Inc · Underground
Controlled by Roger Hunter
Honaker, Floyd County, KY  ·  Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 1517973

#5 has $18K in proposed MSHA penalties and $5K outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
3
Years on record
1998–2001
Latest incident
May 2001
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
141
citations
60
significant & substantial
$17,793
proposed penalties
$12,893
paid to date
72% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $4,900 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
61
inspections on record
1,317
inspection hours
10.7
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.
141 citations across 1,317 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

#5 has $18K in proposed MSHA penalties and $5K 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.
$18K
proposed penalties
$18K
current assessed
$13K
paid to date
$5K
outstanding
139 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2003-06-26.
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.
43.2%
significant & substantial
2.9%
high negligence or reckless
43.2%
reasonably likely or greater
4.3%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 15.1% low, 82.0% moderate, 2.9% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at #5 shows 91% of 276 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: 2003-07-09, 23 years ago
91%
within 1.5 mg/m3
276
samples
2.81
dust max (mg/m3)
141 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 135 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CUTTING MACHINE OPERATOR133
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR41
  • COAL DRILL OPERATOR23

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2003-06-10, 23 years ago
5.7
silica avg (%)
38
samples
11.8
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CUTTING MACHINE OPERATOR19

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: 2002-11-18, 23 years ago
0%
over PEL
15
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR5
  • COAL DRILL OPERATOR3
  • CUTTING MACHINE 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
2003 87% 55
2002 90% 68
2001 90% 72
2000 96% 81
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2003 4.2 6
2002 5.9 8
2001 6.1 11
2000 5.9 13
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2002 0% 5
2001 0% 10
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

#5 recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2002.

Injury rate, 2002
This rate is reportable injury cases per 100 full-time-equivalent workers per year, computed as 200,000 times cases divided by MSHA operator-reported employee-hours. Cases are injuries MSHA graded degree 01 through 07; accident-only events that hurt no one are excluded, and so are contractor injuries, whose hours do not attach to a single mine. Rates begin in 2000, when quarterly employment reporting starts, and are withheld below 20,000 hours in a year.
0.00
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 6.89 and the all-US-mining average was 5.05 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 8.22 cases per 100 workers that year.
Under 100,000 employee-hours were reported that year, so a single case moves the rate by two or more. Read the figure as approximate.
Year total case rate days-away fatal
2002 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2001 * 6.81 0.00 0.000
2000 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
* Fewer than 100,000 employee-hours that year; the rate is less stable.
Source: injury cases from MSHA accident and injury records; employee-hours from MSHA quarterly employment reports. Rate is cases per 100 full-time-equivalent workers, operator employees only.
Ownership history
  1. Hunter Mining Inc 1997 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)
2003 16 39,269
2002 17 80,231
2001 16 83,465
2000 16 93,813
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

#5 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
2003 Q2 7,006 17 8 2426.5
2003 Q1 7,203 4 0 555.3
2002 Q4 7,635 5 4 654.9
2002 Q3 7,715 11 4 1425.8
2002 Q2 7,578 9 3 1187.6
2002 Q1 6,853 5 2 729.6
2001 Q4 6,806 4 1 587.7
2001 Q3 7,431 6 3 807.4
Show 6 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2001 Q2 7,479 8 2 1069.7
2001 Q1 7,652 20 5 2613.7
2000 Q4 7,449 32 15 4295.9
2000 Q3 7,647 14 9 1830.8
2000 Q2 7,123 2 1 280.8
2000 Q1 7,084 2 2 282.3
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

3 on file

2001 · 1 incident

May 7, 2001 KY · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) MACHINERY
Hunter Mining Inc · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

WHILE SPOTTING A CORNER BOLT, EMPLOYEE HAD HIS LEG STRETCHED OUT, UNKNOWING TO OTHER EMPLOYEE WHO SET THE FOOT JACK DOWN ON HIS RIGHT FOOT.

1999 · 1 incident

September 3, 1999 KY · Coal driller operator MACHINERY
Hunter Mining Inc · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

DRILL MAN SAID HE FELT SOMETHING ROUGH IN HIS LEFT EYE BUT COULDN'T TELL WHAT IT WAS OR HOW IT GOT THERE HE FINISHED SHIFT ON 3RD BUT DIDNT WORKMONDAY THE 6TH. HE WENT TO DR ON 4TH THEY REMOVE D SOME COAL HE SAID NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE HE COULD NOT TELL ME HIMSELF

1998 · 1 incident

April 18, 1998 KY · Coal FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Hunter Mining Inc · Accident type, without injuries

TOP FELL ON BUT NEUTRAL ABOUT 300 FT INBY DRIFT MOUTH. NO INJURIES OR EQUIPMENT WERE INVOLVED. IT APPEARS THAT WATER WAS COMING IN AT A HILL SEAM DUT TO ALL MAIN THGS. WATER HELP CUT OR TIP AT SEAM AND THE INTERSECTION CAVED IN ABOUT 5TH BREAK.