Richwood, Greenbrier County,
WV
·
Temporarily Idled
MSHA Mine ID: 4609448
Blue Knob Surface Mine has $24K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 4 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
Watch this mine
Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at Blue Knob Surface Mine.
Fatalities
0
Total incidents
5
Years on record
2016–2021
Latest incident
Jan 2021
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2013
66
citations
9
significant & substantial
$24,002
proposed penalties
$15,734
paid to date
66% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $8,268 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.
66 citations across 2,866 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Blue Knob Surface Mine has $24K 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.
$24K
proposed penalties
$16K
current assessed
$16K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
66 assessments are final orders; 4 contested dockets.
Of $16K in penalties contested before the Commission, $7K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2023-11-06.
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.
22citations taken to the federal commission · 33% of citations on record
Settled
21 · 95%
Stood as issued
1 · 5%
60%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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%
53%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$16K proposed, $7K 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 2020-07-13.
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 Blue Knob Surface Mine shows 99% of 307 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: 2024-05-02
99%
within 1.5 mg/m3
307
samples
2.30
dust max (mg/m3)
3
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.
145 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 162 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.
Blue Knob Surface Mine recorded 2.32 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2021.
Injury rate, 2021
ⓘ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.
2.32
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.35 and the all-US-mining average was 2.19 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 3.83 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
2021 *
2.32
0.00
0.000
2020 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2019
0.00
0.00
0.000
2018 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2017
1.97
0.00
0.000
2016 *
14.23
4.74
0.000
2015 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2014
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)
2025
0
2024
0
2023
1
2022
2
2021
34
106,544
2020
40
150,948
2019
44
216,950
2018
35
82,229
2017
40
177,490
2016
20
96,945
2015
31
101,520
2014
56
408,495
2013
27
162,636
2012
2
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Blue Knob Surface Mine sits in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 1.7% 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.
Greenbrier County, West Virginia · Population 32,688
1.7%
Mining share of county employment
$48,662
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
2025 Q2
0
0
0
2025 Q1
0
0
0
2024 Q4
0
0
0
2024 Q3
0
0
0
2024 Q2
0
0
0
2024 Q1
0
0
0
2023 Q4
0
1
0
2023 Q3
786
0
0
0.0
Show 44 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2023 Q2
758
0
0
0.0
2023 Q1
746
0
0
0.0
2022 Q4
792
1
0
1262.6
2022 Q3
836
0
0
0.0
2022 Q2
1,461
0
0
0.0
2022 Q1
1,430
0
0
0.0
2021 Q4
8,094
0
0
0.0
2021 Q3
23,298
0
0
0.0
2021 Q2
27,347
1
1
36.6
2021 Q1
27,524
1
0
36.3
2020 Q4
14,793
3
0
202.8
2020 Q3
29,918
1
0
33.4
2020 Q2
27,259
4
0
146.7
2020 Q1
24,970
1
0
40.0
2019 Q4
22,271
2
0
89.8
2019 Q3
30,040
6
2
199.7
2019 Q2
29,528
0
0
0.0
2019 Q1
26,214
17
3
648.5
2018 Q4
13,465
0
0
0.0
2018 Q3
13,880
0
0
0.0
2018 Q2
12,120
4
1
330.0
2018 Q1
17,148
0
0
0.0
2017 Q4
17,435
0
0
0.0
2017 Q3
22,499
4
1
177.8
2017 Q2
28,659
2
1
69.8
2017 Q1
32,694
0
0
0.0
2016 Q4
24,534
1
0
40.8
2016 Q3
8,449
1
0
118.4
2016 Q2
8,088
0
0
0.0
2016 Q1
1,095
0
0
0.0
2015 Q4
629
0
0
0.0
2015 Q3
577
0
0
0.0
2015 Q2
28,408
0
0
0.0
2015 Q1
42,523
0
0
0.0
2014 Q4
35,697
0
0
0.0
2014 Q3
41,425
0
0
0.0
2014 Q2
35,986
2
0
55.6
2014 Q1
29,269
0
0
0.0
2013 Q4
20,975
1
0
47.7
2013 Q3
16,338
0
0
0.0
2013 Q2
16,237
0
0
0.0
2013 Q1
15,594
0
0
0.0
2012 Q4
676
0
0
0.0
2012 Q3
0
0
0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
5 on file
2021 · 1 incident
January 6, 2021WV · Coalutility man, shift tech, service/dump truck operatorHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Victim was assisting with the replacement of a tooth on a loader bucket. Apparently EE's glove froze to the tooth and EE couldn't get EE's hand out of the way in time and EE's finger was caught between the tooth and mount. The tip of EE's left pinky finger was smashed between the two. The nail on EE's finger was removed
2017 · 1 incident
June 5, 2017WV · Coalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorPOWERED HAULAGE
Victim was operating assigned loader. It had been raining a substantial amount. A rock fell from the highwall and struck the windshield of the loader causing dust, dirt & glass to get in EE's eyes. EMT's flushed and bandaged EE's eyes. At the hospital no foreign material was found in EE's eyes but there was minor scratches. Ointment was applied and EE was released.
2016 · 3 incidents
December 16, 2016WV · Coalutility man, shift tech, service/dump truck operatorSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
The 2nd shift foreman, victim and another person were unhooking and draining the lines from the 8' water pump which had frozen. The water which came out of the water lines froze due to the -5 degree temperatures. Victim was holding onto the bed of the foreman's pickup when EE's feet slipped and EE fell on the ice. EE sustained a fractured left radius.
June 6, 2016WV · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Victim was parking assigned dozer at the end of shift. EE stated to mine superintendent that EE was dismounting the dozer facing forward instead of backward and foot slipped off the push arm and went between the push arm and the track frame. EE suffered a fractured tibia just below the right knee. Surgery was done the next day to repair the damage.
April 13, 2016WV · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerDUST DISEASE OF LUNGS
We were notified on 04/13/2016 that employee had been ruled compensable for a black lung claim. Employee's employment at this mine ended due to a lack of work on 05/05/2015.