Butcher Branch has $1.1M in proposed MSHA penalties and $486K outstanding across 35 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
1
Total incidents
16
Years on record
2006–2010
Latest incident
Oct 2010
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2006
1,083
citations
498
significant & substantial
$1,093,027
proposed penalties
$214,240
paid to date
20% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $878,787 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.
1,083 citations across 5,626 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Butcher Branch has $1.1M in proposed MSHA penalties and $486K outstanding across 35 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.
$1.1M
proposed penalties
$700K
current assessed
$214K
paid to date
$486K
outstanding
998 assessments are final orders; 35 contested dockets.
Of $720K in penalties contested before the Commission, $324K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2012-02-08.
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.
335citations taken to the federal commission · 31% of citations on record
Settled
172 · 51%
Stood as issued
163 · 49%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 207 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
55%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$720K proposed, $324K 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 2011-03-29.
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 Butcher Branch shows 94% of 344 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: 2010-12-21, 15 years ago
94%
within 1.5 mg/m3
344
samples
3.51
dust max (mg/m3)
180 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 164 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.
Butcher Branch recorded 7.31 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2009.
Injury rate, 2009
ⓘ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.
7.31
total case rate
3.66
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 4.16 and the all-US-mining average was 3.36 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 5.04 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
2009 *
7.31
3.66
0.000
2008
5.31
1.77
1.771
2007 *
2.13
0.00
0.000
2006
4.63
1.54
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)
2013
0
2012
1
2011
4
4,478
2010
30
53,835
2009
31
103,705
2008
49
222,708
2007
38
227,232
2006
56
237,512
2005
0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Butcher Branch sits in Bell County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 3.6% 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.
Bell County, Kentucky · Population 23,878
3.6%
Mining share of county employment
$32,403
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
2013 Q3
0
0
0
2013 Q2
0
0
0
2013 Q1
0
0
0
2012 Q4
0
0
0
2012 Q3
0
0
0
2012 Q2
130
0
0
0.0
2012 Q1
200
2
0
10000.0
2011 Q4
0
0
0
Show 24 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2011 Q3
720
18
3
25000.0
2011 Q2
1,640
10
5
6097.6
2011 Q1
5,591
24
10
4292.6
2010 Q4
3,107
95
72
30576.1
2010 Q3
1,721
81
41
47065.7
2010 Q2
1,772
84
31
47404.1
2010 Q1
7,389
21
8
2842.1
2009 Q4
11,403
23
9
2017.0
2009 Q3
8,842
36
16
4071.5
2009 Q2
2,684
30
2
11177.3
2009 Q1
31,762
84
31
2644.7
2008 Q4
29,038
48
19
1653.0
2008 Q3
28,764
100
31
3476.6
2008 Q2
26,656
54
23
2025.8
2008 Q1
28,458
31
11
1089.3
2007 Q4
21,697
45
20
2074.0
2007 Q3
22,328
8
3
358.3
2007 Q2
16,207
19
6
1172.3
2007 Q1
33,750
29
16
859.3
2006 Q4
2,883
2
2
693.7
2006 Q3
41,472
95
53
2290.7
2006 Q2
52,515
43
27
818.8
2006 Q1
32,656
68
32
2082.3
2005 Q4
0
0
0
Fatalities at this mine
1 recorded
July 17, 2008KY · Coalshuttle car operator, mantrip operator, ramcar operator, rail runner, buggy operatorFatality · POWERED HAULAGE
Piece of draw rock fell scraping EE on the face causing a laceration to his lip and also scraping both of his legs causing a laceration to his left leg above the knee. This injury required stitches to his lip and leg.
October 12, 2010KY · Coalroof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs)HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Rock fall was found on the date and time stated ni item 6. The fall was at Break 10 in the neutral of #3 belt. No equipment was involved. The fall was 80' Long, 18' Wide and 3 to 7 feet thick.
A rock fall was found at the time and date stated above 13 Breaks inby the Portal between the #2 and 3 Entry (crosscut) during the weekly examination of this area. The size of the fall was 20' Long, 18' Wide, 2-3' Thick.
2009 · 3 incidents
April 16, 2009KY · Coalroof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs)FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
An unintentional roof fall occurred in the KY Ridge Mains in the #6 entry between Xcut 26 and 27. The fall is approximately 40' long, 20 ' wide and 7-8' height. The fall does not effect the passage of miners or the ventilation system for this area. This area is part of an inactive area of the mine on the intake side and is examined weekly.
January 20, 2009KY · Coalbeltman, conveyor man, conveyor belt worker, mobile bridge carrierman, feeder operator, conveyor riderHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Valve stem hung up on tire. Tried to pry it off with a slate bar and it came off all at once and the slate bar with all the tire weight fell across the foot.