Bearwallow Surface has $32K in proposed MSHA penalties and $4K outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
12
Years on record
2002–2007
Latest incident
Feb 2007
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2002
145
citations
64
significant & substantial
$32,006
proposed penalties
$28,476
paid to date
89% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $3,530 gap.
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.
145 citations across 1,063 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Bearwallow Surface has $32K in proposed MSHA penalties and $4K 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.
$32K
proposed penalties
$32K
current assessed
$28K
paid to date
$4K
outstanding
143 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2009-07-21.
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.
MSHA sampling at Bearwallow Surface shows 100% of 69 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: 2009-03-19, 17 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
69
samples
0.49
dust max (mg/m3)
69 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 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.
Bearwallow Surface recorded 1.79 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2007.
Injury rate, 2007
ⓘ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.
1.79
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 4.71 and the all-US-mining average was 3.77 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 4.66 cases per 100 workers that year.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2007
1.79
0.00
0.000
2006
1.69
1.69
0.000
2005
1.80
1.80
0.000
2004 *
4.06
2.03
0.000
2003 *
4.45
2.22
0.000
2002 *
6.24
6.24
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)
2010
0
2009
10
67,828
2008
1
2007
42
489,811
2006
41
501,131
2005
39
506,616
2004
34
476,026
2003
31
447,740
2002
23
306,036
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Bearwallow Surface sits in Buchanan County, Virginia, where the Census mining category is 11.2% 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.
Buchanan County, Virginia · Population 19,857
11.2%
Mining share of county employment
$42,216
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 Q4
1,064
0
0
0.0
2009 Q3
1,602
1
0
624.2
2009 Q2
2,145
0
0
0.0
2009 Q1
2,672
3
0
1122.8
2008 Q4
0
0
0
2008 Q3
0
0
0
2008 Q2
0
5
3
Show 25 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2008 Q1
3,032
11
4
3628.0
2007 Q4
30,287
0
0
0.0
2007 Q3
21,459
18
8
838.8
2007 Q2
30,701
0
0
0.0
2007 Q1
29,039
14
4
482.1
2006 Q4
31,071
0
0
0.0
2006 Q3
29,189
10
7
342.6
2006 Q2
29,365
0
0
0.0
2006 Q1
28,723
8
3
278.5
2005 Q4
30,295
0
0
0.0
2005 Q3
26,455
8
4
302.4
2005 Q2
28,767
0
0
0.0
2005 Q1
25,310
9
3
355.6
2004 Q4
25,185
0
0
0.0
2004 Q3
23,895
0
0
0.0
2004 Q2
24,238
2
0
82.5
2004 Q1
25,153
0
0
0.0
2003 Q4
22,659
1
0
44.1
2003 Q3
24,258
0
0
0.0
2003 Q2
23,376
1
0
42.8
2003 Q1
19,646
0
0
0.0
2002 Q4
18,947
2
2
105.6
2002 Q3
23,253
1
0
43.0
2002 Q2
20,859
0
0
0.0
2002 Q1
1,006
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
12 on file
2007 · 1 incident
February 10, 2007VA · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
EE WAS GETTING OUT OF THE POWDER TRUCK. AS HE GOT OUT OF THE SEAT AND TURNED AROUND TO GO DOWN THE STEPS, HIS FOOT SLIPPED, CAUSING HIM TO FALL TO THE GROUND, STRIKING A ROCK WITH HIS LEFT SID E NEAR HIS HIP.
May 29, 2002VA · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanHANDLING OF MATERIALS