Big Branch No 1 Belt Mine has $48K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 4 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
8
Years on record
2007–2009
Latest incident
Sep 2009
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2006
171
citations
54
significant & substantial
$47,529
proposed penalties
$41,668
paid to date
88% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $5,861 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.
171 citations across 1,804 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Big Branch No 1 Belt Mine has $48K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 4 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.
$48K
proposed penalties
$42K
current assessed
$42K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
170 assessments are final orders; 4 contested dockets.
Of $12K in penalties contested before the Commission, $6K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2011-12-06.
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.
12citations taken to the federal commission · 7% of citations on record
Settled
12 · 100%
67%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 9 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
48%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$12K proposed, $6K 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 2010-01-28.
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 Big Branch No 1 Belt Mine shows 89% of 27 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: 2011-12-01, 14 years ago
89%
within 1.5 mg/m3
27
samples
2.30
dust max (mg/m3)
15 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 12 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.
Big Branch No 1 Belt Mine recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2010.
Injury rate, 2010
ⓘ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
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.96 and the all-US-mining average was 3.20 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 4.50 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
2010 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2008 *
9.91
9.91
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
Year
Employees
2012
1
2011
7
2010
8
2009
8
2008
9
2007
9
2006
4
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Big Branch No 1 Belt Mine sits in Mingo County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 15.0% 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.
Mingo County, West Virginia · Population 22,979
15.0%
Mining share of county employment
$39,527
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
2012 Q2
0
0
0
2012 Q1
942
0
0
0.0
2011 Q4
3,154
4
2
1268.2
2011 Q3
4,819
2
0
415.0
2011 Q2
4,951
2
1
404.0
2011 Q1
5,514
6
0
1088.1
2010 Q4
5,062
4
0
790.2
2010 Q3
5,677
6
3
1056.9
Show 16 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2010 Q2
5,710
4
2
700.5
2010 Q1
5,092
3
0
589.2
2009 Q4
5,107
4
2
783.2
2009 Q3
4,992
6
5
1201.9
2009 Q2
4,462
6
2
1344.7
2009 Q1
4,766
19
4
3986.6
2008 Q4
4,387
10
0
2279.5
2008 Q3
4,643
10
6
2153.8
2008 Q2
5,567
19
5
3413.0
2008 Q1
5,589
11
5
1968.2
2007 Q4
4,849
8
5
1649.8
2007 Q3
4,929
1
0
202.9
2007 Q2
4,401
5
1
1136.1
2007 Q1
4,946
0
0
0.0
2006 Q4
3,248
1
0
307.9
2006 Q3
0
0
0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
8 on file
2009 · 4 incidents
September 1, 2009WV · Coallaborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scalerHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Employee and a co-worker had been rock dusting and they were pulling the duster hose through the man door, at break 37. Employee stepped on a pile of slate and fell.
Working on stoppings, crossing over gob pile, stepped on loose rock, rock went out from under foot and to keep from falling on top of some H beams, EE grabbed a hanging roof bolt and pulled shoulder. Accident 6/14/08 never became reportable until 7/9/08.
2007 · 1 incident
June 6, 2007WV · Coalhaul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driverSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON