Bennetts Fork TN Mine has $45K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
11
Years on record
1992–2003
Latest incident
Nov 2003
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2003
60
citations
34
significant & substantial
$45,057
proposed penalties
$38,153
paid to date
85% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $6,904 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.
Rate withheld: 376 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Bennetts Fork TN Mine has $45K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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.
$45K
proposed penalties
$38K
current assessed
$38K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
60 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $16K in penalties contested before the Commission, $9K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2008-09-08.
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.
2citations taken to the federal commission · 3% of citations on record
Settled
2 · 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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 2 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
43%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$16K proposed, $9K 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 2008-10-10.
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 Bennetts Fork TN Mine shows 100% of 26 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: 2008-05-06, 18 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
26
samples
0.89
dust max (mg/m3)
24 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 2 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.
Bennetts Fork TN Mine recorded 7.89 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2003.
Injury rate, 2003
ⓘ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.
7.89
total case rate
7.89
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 5.87 and the all-US-mining average was 4.43 cases per 100 workers.
In Tennessee, coal mining averaged 5.43 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.
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)
2008
15
84,397
2007
23
61,783
2004
5
19,196
2003
21
179,014
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Bennetts Fork TN Mine sits in Claiborne County, Tennessee, where the Census mining category is 1.0% 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.
Claiborne County, Tennessee · Population 32,221
1.0%
Mining share of county employment
$46,587
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
2008 Q4
312
0
0
0.0
2008 Q2
14,100
24
20
1702.1
2008 Q1
11,530
0
0
0.0
2007 Q4
13,555
10
5
737.7
2004 Q4
0
0
0
2004 Q3
19
1
0
52631.6
2004 Q2
1,456
0
0
0.0
2004 Q1
11,714
5
0
426.8
Show 4 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2003 Q4
12,506
0
0
0.0
2003 Q3
14,410
5
1
347.0
2003 Q2
15,200
2
1
131.6
2003 Q1
8,560
2
0
233.6
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
11 on file
2003 · 2 incidents
November 22, 2003TN · Coalblaster, shooter, shotfirer, explosive worker, powder gang/monkeySLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
OPERATOR DROVE HIS BACKDUMP TRUCK UPON THE FILL AREA AT LUNCH BREAK, AND IN THE PROCESS OF STEPPING DOWN THE LADDER HIS LEFT FOOT MISSED THE BOTTOM STEP ADN CAUSED THE OPERATOR TO TWIST TO ONE SIDE. THERE WAS NO PAIN OR DISCOMFORT UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING WHEN HE WAS GETTING OUT OF BED.
1999 · 1 incident
January 21, 1999TN · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerPOWERED HAULAGE