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Carbon Hill Prep Plant: 58 MSHA citations Coal

Carbon Hill, Walker County, AL  ·  NonProducing
MSHA Mine ID: 0103426

Carbon Hill Prep Plant has $35K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 7 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
2022
Latest incident
Dec 2022
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2019
58
citations
25
significant & substantial
$34,917
proposed penalties
$29,532
paid to date
85% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $5,385 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Prospect Mining & Development Co., LLC's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2018
27
inspections on record
423
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: 423 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Imminent-danger orders
ⓘ A Section 107(a) order removes miners from an area when an inspector finds an imminent danger. Each order is lifted once the condition is corrected, so this counts orders issued, not orders now in effect.
1
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2024-10-08.
On record since 2024.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.

Carbon Hill Prep Plant has $35K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 7 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.
$35K
proposed penalties
$30K
current assessed
$30K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
53 assessments are final orders; 7 contested dockets.
Of $26K in penalties contested before the Commission, $21K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2024-10-16.
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.
44.6%
significant & substantial
3.6%
high negligence or reckless
44.6%
reasonably likely or greater
21.4%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 17.9% low, 78.6% moderate, 3.6% 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.
22 citations taken to the federal commission · 38% of citations on record
  • Settled 21 · 95%
  • Stood as issued 1 · 5%
75%
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 20 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
37%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$33K proposed, $21K 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 2025-01-06.
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
SE 2023-0086 Settlement Sullivan 2023 $15K → $8K
SE 2022-0034 Settlement Young 2022 $8K → $10K
SE 2025-0048 Settlement Young 2025 $2K → $986
SE 2025-0030 Settlement McCarthy 2025 $1K → $547
SE 2022-0035 Settlement Young 2022 $563 → $1K
SE 2020-0198 Settlement Moran 2020 $246 → $246
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Carbon Hill Prep Plant shows 100% of 41 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: 2025-05-09
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
41
samples
0.36
dust max (mg/m3)
0
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.
41 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER14
  • WASHER OPERATOR6
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR4

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: 2025-05-09
0%
over PEL
28
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER9
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR4
  • PREPARATION PLANT FOREMAN4
See US mines ranked by noise samples over the legal limit.
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
2025 100% 3
2024 100% 6
2023 100% 6
2022 100% 3
2021 100% 14
2020 100% 7
2019 100% 2
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2025 0% 3
2024 0% 6
2023 0% 6
2022 0% 3
2021 0% 4
2020 0% 4
2019 0% 2
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Carbon Hill Prep Plant recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2025.

Injury rate, 2025
ⓘ 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.
0.00
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.19 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
In Alabama, coal mining averaged 3.32 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
2025 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2024 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2023 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2022 * 9.90 0.00 0.000
2021 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2020 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2019 * 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.
Ownership history
  1. Warrior Investment Co., Inc. 2010 to 2016
  2. Prospect Mining & Development Co., LLC 2016 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 4
2025 9
2024 9
2023 9
2022 9
2021 12
2020 10
2019 9
2018 7
2017 7
2016 0
2015 0
2014 0
2013 0
2012 0
2011 0
2010 0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Carbon Hill Prep Plant sits in Walker County, Alabama, where the Census mining category is 3.3% 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.
Walker County, Alabama · Population 64,886
3.3%
Mining share of county employment
$54,509
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
2026 Q2 0 0 0
2026 Q1 1,633 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 5,325 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 6,336 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 6,652 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 6,448 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 5,515 3 1 544.0
2024 Q3 5,235 0 0 0.0
Show 57 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 6,157 4 1 649.7
2024 Q1 6,671 0 0 0.0
2023 Q4 5,944 1 1 168.2
2023 Q3 5,745 2 1 348.1
2023 Q2 5,866 0 0 0.0
2023 Q1 5,381 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 5,560 14 8 2518.0
2022 Q3 5,131 2 1 389.8
2022 Q2 5,239 0 0 0.0
2022 Q1 4,273 0 0 0.0
2021 Q4 4,538 10 6 2203.6
2021 Q3 7,382 4 0 541.9
2021 Q2 9,429 0 0 0.0
2021 Q1 6,681 8 2 1197.4
2020 Q4 2,205 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 6,057 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 9,584 5 3 521.7
2020 Q1 3,391 3 1 884.7
2019 Q4 1,128 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 4,067 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 10,963 2 0 182.4
2019 Q1 6,180 0 0 0.0
2018 Q4 3,057 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 3,194 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 3,214 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 3,187 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 3,579 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 4,289 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 2,915 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 1,894 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 0 0 0
2016 Q3 0 0 0
2016 Q2 0 0 0
2016 Q1 0 0 0
2015 Q4 0 0 0
2015 Q3 0 0 0
2015 Q2 0 0 0
2015 Q1 0 0 0
2014 Q4 0 0 0
2014 Q3 0 0 0
2014 Q2 0 0 0
2014 Q1 0 0 0
2013 Q4 0 0 0
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 0 0 0
2012 Q1 0 0 0
2011 Q4 0 0 0
2011 Q3 0 0 0
2011 Q2 0 0 0
2011 Q1 0 0 0
2010 Q4 0 0 0
2010 Q3 0 0 0
2010 Q2 0 0 0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2022 · 1 incident

December 31, 2022 AL · Coal prep plant foreman, supervisor, mill plant supervisor, kiln supervisor HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Prospect Mining & Development Co., LLC · Struck by falling object

Removing counterweight from shaft to change bearings in 8'x16' Double Deck Scalping Screen . Counterweight was placed leaning against steel pole in upright position. Counterweight was accidentally bumped and fell over striking employee's left foot. Injury caused no missed days.