Mining Incidents

Ambush No 2 Mine: 102 MSHA citations Coal

Ambush Mining Inc · Underground
Caretta, Mcdowell County, WV  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 4605319

Ambush No 2 Mine has $9K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
6
Years on record
1984–1987
Latest incident
Nov 1987
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2002
102
citations
40
significant & substantial
$9,117
proposed penalties
$9,117
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2001
49
inspections on record
1,660
inspection hours
6.1
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.
102 citations across 1,660 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Ambush No 2 Mine has $9K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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.
$9K
proposed penalties
$9K
current assessed
$9K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
101 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2007-06-05.
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.
39.6%
significant & substantial
6.9%
high negligence or reckless
39.6%
reasonably likely or greater
19.8%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 29.7% low, 63.4% moderate, 6.9% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Ambush No 2 Mine shows 97% of 327 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: 2007-04-09, 19 years ago
97%
within 1.5 mg/m3
327
samples
3.35
dust max (mg/m3)
143 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 184 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR183
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)39
  • ROOF BOLTER (SINGLE HEAD)18

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2006-06-28, 20 years ago
4.6
silica avg (%)
14
samples
8.4
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR13

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: 2006-08-14, 20 years ago
0%
over PEL
24
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)7
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR5
  • ROOF BOLTER (SINGLE HEAD)5
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
2007 100% 11
2006 98% 51
2005 99% 68
2004 100% 65
2003 98% 56
2002 89% 76
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2006 6.1 1
2005 5.0 3
2004 4.8 2
2003 4.0 1
2002 4.3 7
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2006 0% 5
2005 0% 9
2004 0% 5
2003 0% 5
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Ambush No 2 Mine recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2006.

Injury rate, 2006
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
No reportable injury cases in any year shown. Employee-hours were reported in each of those years, so these are true zeros rather than missing data. Citations, listed in the compliance record above, are inspector-found violations and are counted separately from worker injuries.
Below average. The US coal mining average was 4.87 and the all-US-mining average was 3.91 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 5.26 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
2006 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2005 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2004 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2003 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2002 * 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. Olga Coal Company 1976 to 1992
  2. West Virginia Properties Inc 1992 to 2001
  3. Ambush Mining Inc 2001 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)
2010 0
2009 0
2008 0
2007 6 45,525
2006 14 90,697
2005 14 99,391
2004 13 110,977
2003 12 89,682
2002 11 68,876
2001 0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Ambush No 2 Mine sits in McDowell County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 13.0% 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.
McDowell County, West Virginia · Population 18,413
13.0%
Mining share of county employment
$29,980
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
2010 Q1 0 0 0
2009 Q2 0 0 0
2009 Q1 0 0 0
2008 Q4 0 0 0
2008 Q3 0 0 0
2008 Q2 0 0 0
2008 Q1 0 0 0
2007 Q4 0 0 0
Show 25 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2007 Q3 0 0 0
2007 Q2 6,333 1 1 157.9
2007 Q1 6,628 1 0 150.9
2006 Q4 6,851 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 6,517 4 1 613.8
2006 Q2 7,171 2 0 278.9
2006 Q1 6,528 1 0 153.2
2005 Q4 6,880 3 2 436.0
2005 Q3 6,974 2 0 286.8
2005 Q2 7,168 2 1 279.0
2005 Q1 6,217 1 0 160.8
2004 Q4 6,033 8 3 1326.0
2004 Q3 5,856 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 6,393 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 6,189 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 5,957 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 5,929 3 2 506.0
2003 Q2 6,213 1 1 161.0
2003 Q1 6,580 6 0 911.9
2002 Q4 4,504 5 2 1110.1
2002 Q3 6,153 17 5 2762.9
2002 Q2 5,906 19 12 3217.1
2002 Q1 4,625 17 5 3675.7
2001 Q4 0 0 0
2001 Q3 0 0 0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

6 on file

1987 · 2 incidents

November 12, 1987 WV · Coal electrician, lineman DISORDERS (REPEATED TRAUMA)
Olga Coal Company · Unclassified, insufficient data

NOISE INDUCED H9ARING LOSS.

January 9, 1987 WV · Coal laborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scaler DUST DISEASE OF LUNGS
Olga Coal Company · Inhalation of radiations, caustics, toxic and noxious substances

OCCUPATIONAL PN9UMOCONIOSIS.

1986 · 1 incident

1984 · 3 incidents

August 15, 1984 WV · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Olga Coal Company · Struck by falling object

UNLOADING TIMBERS FROM SCOOP AND ONE TIMBER FELL ON FOOT.

June 11, 1984 WV · Coal laborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scaler HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Olga Coal Company · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

EE WAS REPLACING A BELT ROLLER & CAUGHT HIS FINGER BETWEEN ROLLER & ROCK CAUSING LACERATION TO FINGER.

February 13, 1984 WV · Coal laborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scaler SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Olga Coal Company · Fall to the walkway or working surface

EMPLOYEE WAS WALKING TO MANTRIP, SLIPPED AND TWISTED HIS KNEE.