Bear Branch: 65 MSHA citations Coal
Liberty Management, L.L.C.
· Surface
Controlled by
Steve Allen; Philip Marsh
Phelps,
Pike County,
KY
·
Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1519461
Bear Branch has $8K in proposed MSHA penalties and $2K outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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- Fatalities
- 0
- Total incidents
- 0
- Years on record
- —
- Latest incident
- —
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2010
65
citations
31
significant & substantial
$8,407
proposed penalties
$6,751
paid to date
80% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $1,656 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2010
30
inspections on record
428
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: 428 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Bear Branch has $8K in proposed MSHA penalties and $2K outstanding across 1 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.$8K
proposed penalties
$8K
current assessed
$7K
paid to date
$2K
outstanding
65 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $700 in penalties contested before the Commission, $700 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2015-09-23.
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.47.7%
significant & substantial
4.6%
high negligence or reckless
47.7%
reasonably likely or greater
23.1%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 12.3% low, 83.1% moderate, 4.6% 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.
7
citations taken to the federal commission · 11% of citations on record
- Settled 7 · 100%
100%
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%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$700 proposed, $700 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 2014-12-24.
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 2015-0204 | Settlement | Simonton | 2015 | $700 → $700 |
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
MSHA sampling at Bear Branch shows 100% of 23 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: 2016-01-15, 10 years ago
ⓘ
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.100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
23
samples
0.65
dust max (mg/m3)
0
over MSHA ECV
ⓘ
The excessive concentration value (ECV) is MSHA's own per-sample enforcement threshold, which builds in measurement uncertainty; a sample over its ECV can trigger a citation. The count covers only samples MSHA assigned an ECV.23 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
- ROTARY BUCKET EXCAVATOR OPERATOR8
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR5
- REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE5
Silica (quartz)
Last sampled: 2015-09-30, 10 years ago24.1
silica avg (%)
3
samples
37.4
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR2
- ROTARY BUCKET EXCAVATOR OPERATOR1
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: 2015-09-23, 10 years ago
ⓘ
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.0%
over PEL
13
samples
Most-sampled occupations
- ROTARY BUCKET EXCAVATOR OPERATOR4
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR3
- REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE3
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 100% | 2 |
| 2015 | 100% | 4 |
| 2014 | 100% | 5 |
| 2013 | 100% | 4 |
| 2012 | 100% | 8 |
Silica (quartz) by year
| Year | silica avg (%) | samples |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2.0 | 1 |
| 2012 | 35.1 | 2 |
Noise by year
| Year | over PEL | samples |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 0% | 4 |
| 2014 | 0% | 5 |
| 2012 | 0% | 4 |
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
- TLT Resources Corporation 2010 to 2012
- Augustus Augering and Contracting Inc 2012 to 2014
- Black Storm Energy, LLC 2014 to 2014
- IBCS Mining Inc KY Division 2014 to 2015
- Liberty Management, L.L.C. 2015 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 1 | 2,488 |
| 2013 | 2 | 6,800 |
| 2012 | 5 | 13,146 |
| 2011 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 2 |
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Bear Branch sits in Pike County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 5.1% 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.Pike County, Kentucky · Population 57,466
5.1%
Mining share of county employment
$42,179
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Q1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 Q4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 Q3 | 934 | 7 | 1 | 7494.6 |
| 2014 Q2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 Q1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2013 Q4 | 2,200 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2013 Q3 | 680 | 2 | 0 | 2941.2 |
| 2013 Q1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Show 8 earlier quarters Hide earlier quarters
| Quarter | Hours worked | Citations | S&S | Per 1M hrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Q4 | 870 | 3 | 0 | 3448.3 |
| 2012 Q3 | 2,400 | 2 | 0 | 833.3 |
| 2012 Q2 | 2,400 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2012 Q1 | 4,000 | 1 | 1 | 250.0 |
| 2011 Q1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2010 Q4 | 1,032 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2010 Q3 | 1,558 | 4 | 1 | 2567.4 |
| 2010 Q2 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
No reportable incidents on file.
MSHA has no recorded reportable accidents for this mine in the current dataset. New reports appear here within a week of being filed.