Buckeye Surface: 25 MSHA citations
Coal
David,
Floyd County,
KY
·
Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1519119
Buckeye Surface has $6K in proposed MSHA penalties and $4K outstanding across 2 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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- Fatalities
- 0
- Total incidents
- 1
- Years on record
- 2008
- Latest incident
- Jun 2008
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2007
12
significant & substantial
$5,885
proposed penalties
22% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $4,562 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2007
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: 234 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Buckeye Surface has $6K in proposed MSHA penalties and $4K outstanding across 2 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.
25 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $4K in penalties contested before the Commission, $3K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2008-07-31.
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.
48.0%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
48.0%
reasonably likely or greater
8.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 20.0% low, 80.0% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
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.
11
citations taken to the federal commission · 44% of citations on record
-
Settled
4 · 36%
-
Stood as issued
7 · 64%
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 5 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
21%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$4K proposed, $3K 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 2008-05-20.
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.
| Docket |
Decision |
Judge |
Year |
Proposed / upheld |
| KENT 2008-1062 |
Settlement |
Feldman |
2009 |
$3K → $2K |
| KENT 2008-1063 |
Default |
Lesnick |
2011 |
$776 → $776 |
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
MSHA sampling at Buckeye Surface shows 100% of 19 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: 2008-08-05, 18 years ago
19 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR4
- HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR4
- REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE4
Silica (quartz)
Last sampled: 2008-08-13, 18 years ago
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.
Last sampled: 2008-07-31, 18 years ago
Most-sampled occupations
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR3
- HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER2
- HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR2
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
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.
| Year |
within 1.5 mg/m3 |
samples |
| 2008 |
100% |
12 |
| 2007 |
100% |
7 |
Noise by year
| Year |
over PEL |
samples |
| 2008 |
0% |
6 |
| 2007 |
0% |
5 |
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
-
Miller Bros Coal LLC
2007 to present
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 |
33 |
205,160 |
| 2007 |
25 |
132,490 |
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Buckeye Surface sits in Floyd County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 4.4% 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.
Floyd County, Kentucky · Population 35,342
4.4%
Mining share of county employment
$41,582
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 Q3 |
10,626 |
2 |
1 |
188.2 |
| 2008 Q2 |
20,193 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
| 2008 Q1 |
20,791 |
11 |
5 |
529.1 |
| 2007 Q4 |
24,734 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
| 2007 Q3 |
15,703 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
| 2007 Q2 |
1,699 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
1 on file
2008 · 1 incident
Miller Bros Coal LLC · Over-exertion in lifting objects
Bending over and putting primer boxes in cap house and twisted lower back.