Buffalo Creek Surface Mine: 23 MSHA citations
Coal
Pikeville,
Pike County,
KY
·
Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1518960
Buffalo Creek Surface Mine has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $3K outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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- Fatalities
- 0
- Total incidents
- 1
- Years on record
- 2006
- Latest incident
- Nov 2006
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2007
11
significant & substantial
$5,424
proposed penalties
46% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $2,945 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2006
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: 137 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Buffalo Creek Surface Mine has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $3K outstanding across 0 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.
23 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2008-09-15.
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.
47.8%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
47.8%
reasonably likely or greater
43.5%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 13.0% low, 87.0% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
MSHA sampling at Buffalo Creek Surface Mine shows 100% of 17 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: 2008-09-15, 17 years ago
17 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR5
- HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER5
- REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE4
Silica (quartz)
Last sampled: 2007-03-27, 19 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: 2008-09-15, 17 years ago
Most-sampled occupations
- REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE9
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR7
- HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER5
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% |
5 |
| 2007 |
100% |
12 |
Noise by year
| Year |
over PEL |
samples |
| 2008 |
0% |
8 |
| 2007 |
5% |
22 |
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
-
Joshua Enterprises Inc
2006 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 |
10 |
16,998 |
| 2007 |
22 |
128,332 |
| 2006 |
4 |
15,184 |
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Buffalo Creek Surface Mine sits in Pike County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 5.1% 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.
Pike County, Kentucky · Population 57,466
5.1%
Mining share of county employment
$42,179
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 Q2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
| 2008 Q1 |
5,368 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
| 2007 Q2 |
12,952 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
| 2007 Q1 |
8,200 |
8 |
2 |
975.6 |
| 2006 Q4 |
4,588 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
| 2006 Q3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
| 2006 Q2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
| 2006 Q1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
1 on file
2006 · 1 incident
November 14, 2006
KY · Coal
blaster, shooter, shotfirer, explosive worker, powder gang/monkey
HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Joshua Enterprises Inc · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)
The employee was shoveling drill cuttings into a blasthole with a hand shovel on 11/14/06. Employee got out of bed the next morning and felt stiffness in his lower back. Employee went to the doctor and then reported the injury to company personnel on 11/15/06. Doctor advised employee that he had a strained back and that he should remain off-duty until 11/17/06.