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.
101 citations across 1,005 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Bear Creek has $33K in proposed MSHA penalties and $292 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.
$33K
proposed penalties
$28K
current assessed
$28K
paid to date
$292
outstanding
98 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $18K in penalties contested before the Commission, $13K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2017-04-13.
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.
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.
7citations taken to the federal commission · 7% of citations on record
Settled
5 · 71%
Stood as issued
2 · 29%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 5 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
29%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$18K proposed, $13K 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 A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record.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 2007-10-30.
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.
MSHA sampling at Bear Creek shows 100% of 232 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: 2017-04-20, 9 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
232
samples
2.79
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.
180 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 52 by the operator.
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.
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.
Bear Creek recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2013.
Injury rate, 2013
ⓘ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 3.94 and the all-US-mining average was 2.99 cases per 100 workers.
In Alabama, coal mining averaged 4.03 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
2013 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2012 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2011 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2009 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2008 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2007 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2006 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2005 *
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.
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)
2020
0
2019
0
2018
1
2017
6
7,063
2016
21
43,155
2015
7
25,481
2014
17
40,263
2013
13
87,587
2012
19
128,927
2011
15
81,012
2010
7
39,301
2009
20
95,269
2008
22
183,137
2007
20
152,591
2006
20
189,984
2005
8
84,268
2004
5
68,020
2003
4
46,049
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Bear Creek sits in Franklin County, Alabama, where the Census mining category is 0.4% 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.
Franklin County, Alabama · Population 31,978
0.4%
Mining share of county employment
$51,493
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
2020 Q2
0
0
0
2020 Q1
0
0
0
2019 Q4
0
0
0
2019 Q3
29
0
0
0.0
2019 Q2
0
0
0
2018 Q4
0
0
0
2018 Q3
0
0
0
2018 Q2
881
0
0
0.0
Show 57 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2018 Q1
627
0
0
0.0
2017 Q4
0
0
0
2017 Q3
1,883
0
0
0.0
2017 Q2
6,609
1
0
151.3
2016 Q3
2,964
3
0
1012.1
2016 Q1
10,314
2
1
193.9
2015 Q4
9,009
0
0
0.0
2015 Q3
7,111
2
0
281.3
2015 Q2
0
0
0
2015 Q1
1,521
0
0
0.0
2014 Q4
4,385
2
0
456.1
2014 Q3
11,475
0
0
0.0
2014 Q1
11,616
0
0
0.0
2013 Q4
4,435
3
1
676.4
2013 Q3
7,997
0
0
0.0
2013 Q2
1,944
5
0
2572.0
2013 Q1
14,817
0
0
0.0
2012 Q4
14,106
3
0
212.7
2012 Q3
1,308
0
0
0.0
2012 Q2
11,961
2
0
167.2
2012 Q1
10,283
0
0
0.0
2011 Q4
11,003
2
1
181.8
2011 Q3
11,159
0
0
0.0
2011 Q2
8,723
0
0
0.0
2011 Q1
8,651
0
0
0.0
2010 Q4
10,073
5
1
496.4
2010 Q3
2,806
1
0
356.4
2010 Q2
0
0
0
2010 Q1
0
0
0
2009 Q4
1,988
0
0
0.0
2009 Q3
10,468
0
0
0.0
2009 Q2
12,376
3
1
242.4
2009 Q1
15,414
6
1
389.3
2008 Q4
17,267
0
0
0.0
2008 Q3
15,484
0
0
0.0
2008 Q2
12,684
7
2
551.9
2008 Q1
9,968
3
0
301.0
2007 Q4
10,108
0
0
0.0
2007 Q3
10,836
10
7
922.8
2007 Q2
19,684
0
0
0.0
2007 Q1
20,426
4
1
195.8
2006 Q4
21,489
11
3
511.9
2006 Q3
19,392
1
0
51.6
2006 Q2
15,821
0
0
0.0
2006 Q1
6,887
9
1
1306.8
2005 Q4
8,027
0
0
0.0
2005 Q3
8,129
0
0
0.0
2005 Q2
3,709
0
0
0.0
2005 Q1
2,878
0
0
0.0
2004 Q4
3,498
0
0
0.0
2004 Q3
4,756
2
1
420.5
2004 Q2
2,888
0
0
0.0
2004 Q1
2,760
8
4
2898.6
2003 Q4
3,115
0
0
0.0
2003 Q3
3,480
0
0
0.0
2003 Q2
3,159
0
0
0.0
2003 Q1
1,321
1
1
757.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
1 on file
2016 · 1 incident
October 7, 2016AL · Coalblaster, shooter, shotfirer, explosive worker, powder gang/monkeySLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Blaster accessing top of truck on ladder when ladder separated from truck body causing Blaster to fall against cab of truck, resulting in a left shoulder strain.