Mining Incidents

Blue Ridge Coal

Oakman, Walker County, AL  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 0103037

MSHA sampling at Blue Ridge shows respirable coal dust averaging 0.37 mg/m3 (100% compliant) across 2 samples, plus the mine's fatality, citation, and penalty record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
8
Years on record
1997–2002
Latest incident
Feb 2002
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
6
inspections on record
23
inspection hours
n/a
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: 23 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Blue Ridge shows respirable coal dust averaging 0.37 mg/m3 (100% compliant) across 2 samples.

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.
0.37
dust avg (mg/m3)
0.65
dust max (mg/m3)
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
2
samples
Most recent sample: 2001-08-29.
Noise
0%
over PEL
2
samples
Most recent sample: 2001-08-29.
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
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
2001 Q4 0 0 0
2001 Q3 0 0 0
2000 Q3 0 0 0
2000 Q2 0 0 0
2000 Q1 2,062 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

8 on file

2002 · 1 incident

1999 · 2 incidents

January 28, 1999 AL · Coal drill operator SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Taft Coal Sales & Associates Inc · Fall to lower level, (Not Elsewhere Classified)

EE WAS DESCENDING AN EMBANKMENT (MOVING FROM 1 DRILL BENCH TO ANOTHER) WHEN LOOSE MATERIAL SLID FROM UNDERNEATH HIS FEET CAUSING HIM TO FALL FACE FORWARD SEVERAL FEET DOWN THE EMBANKMENT. HE S UFFERED SCRAPES AND ABRSIONS TO HIS FACE, HANDS AND KNEES.

January 22, 1999 AL · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Taft Coal Sales & Associates Inc · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

MECHANIC WAS DISMOUNTING DOZER WHEN RT FOOT SLIPPED AND WAS CAUGHT BETWEEN THE FRAME AND THE TRACK OF THE DOZER. MECHANIC FELL BACKWARD OFF MACHINE AND WAS SUSPENDED IN AIR BY RT LEG.

1998 · 3 incidents

October 28, 1998 AL · Coal electrician, lineman SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Taft Coal Sales & Associates Inc · Fall to the walkway or working surface

EE WAS DRAGGING A TRAIL CABLE DURING MOVEMENT OF DRAGLINE AND STEPPED ONTO LOOSE MATERIAL CAUSING BODY TO TWIST, RESULTING IN STRAIN OF LOWER BACK.

July 6, 1998 AL · Coal crane operator, mobile equipment operator (meo), dragline operator, dropball operator, rigger HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Taft Coal Sales & Associates Inc · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

EMPLOYEES WERE REPLACING A DUMP CABLE ON 1300 DRAGLINE. WHEN BAND HOLDING COILED CABLE WAS CUT, EMPLOYEE WAS STANDING IN WRONG PLACE. END OF CABLE SLAPPED EMPLOYEES LOWER RIGHT LEG CAUSES BRUI SES AND CONTUSIONS (NO FRACTURE).

January 7, 1998 AL · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman MACHINERY
Taft Coal Sales & Associates Inc · Struck against a moving object

LOOSE MATERIAL ALONG EDGE OF LOW WALL MOVED CAUSING DOZER TO ROLL OVER/DOWN EMBANKMENT. EE'S HEAD STRUCK OR WAS STRUCK BY SOMETHING WHICH LACERATED BACK OF HIS HEAD. THE BLOW ALSO FRACTURED HI S SKULL. INJURY REQUIRED SAME DAY SURGERY AND EEWAS RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL NEXT DAY. DOZER ROLLED 11/4 TURNS.

1997 · 2 incidents

July 16, 1997 AL · Coal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer MACHINERY
Taft Coal Sales & Associates Inc · Caught in, under or between running or meshing objects

LEAVES AND DEBRIS HAD COLLECTED AORUND FAN SHROUD OF DOZER. EE ATTEMPTED TO CLEAR AREA WITH ENGINE RUNNING AND LEFT RING FINGER WAS STRUCK BY FAN BLADE RESULTING IN LACERATED, BROKEN FINGER.

May 27, 1997 AL · Coal front-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operator MACHINERY
Taft Coal Sales & Associates Inc · Struck against a moving object

EMPLOYEE WAS MOVING PIECE OF EQUIPMENT TO ANOTHER AREA OF MINE. TRANSMISSION BECAME DISENGAGED AND ENGINE STALLED. MACHINE WENT DOWN INCLINED ROADWAY WITH HIS BRAKES AVAILABLE. EMPLOYEE STEERE D EQUIPMENT OFF ROAD AND OVER ROCKY AREA TO STOP VEHICLE. EMPLOYEE WAS THROWN ABOUT IN CAB OF VEHICLE.

For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants

The full compliance file on Blue Ridge

A dated report covering the 26-year penalty trail, line-item violation pattern, contest and docket posture, rate-normalized peer benchmark, and full fatality history. Delivered as a PDF with the underlying data as CSV.