Mining Incidents

Caretta #1 Mine: 68 MSHA citations Coal

Ambush Mining Inc · Underground
Caretta, Mcdowell County, WV  ·  Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 4608399

Caretta #1 Mine has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
6
Years on record
1996–2000
Latest incident
Jun 2000
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
68
citations
29
significant & substantial
$4,839
proposed penalties
$4,839
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
31
inspections on record
725
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: 725 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Caretta #1 Mine has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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.
$5K
proposed penalties
$5K
current assessed
$5K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
68 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2001-10-10.
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.
42.6%
significant & substantial
4.4%
high negligence or reckless
42.6%
reasonably likely or greater
8.8%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 36.8% low, 58.8% moderate, 4.4% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Caretta #1 Mine shows 96% of 130 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: 2002-01-09, 24 years ago
96%
within 1.5 mg/m3
130
samples
3.29
dust max (mg/m3)
70 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 60 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR72
  • ROOF BOLTER (SINGLE HEAD)13
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (OFF STANDARD)12

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2002-01-17, 24 years ago
5.5
silica avg (%)
8
samples
15.1
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR7
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
2002 80% 5
2001 97% 63
2000 97% 62
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2002 4.2 1
2001 3.4 2
2000 6.6 5
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Caretta #1 Mine recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2001.

Injury rate, 2001
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
No reportable injury cases in any year shown. Employee-hours were reported in each of those years, so these are true zeros rather than missing data. Citations, listed in the compliance record above, are inspector-found violations and are counted separately from worker injuries.
Below average. The US coal mining average was 6.94 and the all-US-mining average was 5.26 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 8.13 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.
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. Caretta Mining Inc 1994 to 1995
  2. Cu Chi Mining Inc 1995 to 1999
  3. Bar-Hop Mining Inc 1998 to 1998
  4. Ambush Mining Inc 1999 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)
2002 4 5,429
2001 11 87,002
2000 10 73,119
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Caretta #1 Mine sits in McDowell County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 13.0% 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.
McDowell County, West Virginia · Population 18,413
13.0%
Mining share of county employment
$29,980
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
2002 Q2 0 0 0
2002 Q1 854 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 5,581 1 0 179.2
2001 Q3 5,797 15 5 2587.5
2001 Q2 5,266 19 10 3608.1
2001 Q1 4,952 21 8 4240.7
2000 Q4 4,840 2 1 413.2
2000 Q3 3,788 3 1 792.0
Show 2 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2000 Q2 4,308 2 1 464.3
2000 Q1 2,488 2 0 803.9
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

6 on file

2000 · 1 incident

June 21, 2000 WV · Coal section foreman, bullgang foreman, labor foreman, leadman, shift boss POWERED HAULAGE
Ambush Mining Inc · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

PIECE OF METAL FLEW OFF OF CONVEYOR CHAIN AND WENT THROUGH SIDE OF EMPLOYEE'S GOGGLES, STRIKING HIM IN THE EYE; CUT IRIS OF THE EYE.

1999 · 1 incident

November 30, 1999 WV · Coal electrician, lineman POWERED HAULAGE
Ambush Mining Inc · Struck against stationary object

RIDING GOLF CART TO SECTION HIT HEAD ON PIN BOARD IN ROOF.

1997 · 2 incidents

June 5, 1997 WV · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) MACHINERY
Cu Chi Mining Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

PUTTING UP BELT HANGERS WHEN HIS FINGER WENT BETWEEN 9 ROOFBOLT PALTE AND A FRAME.

March 17, 1997 WV · Coal mechanic helper SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Cu Chi Mining Inc · Fall from machine

EEE WAS CHECKING THE FUEL IN THE ENDLOADER WHEN HE STARTED GETTING DOWN OFF THE ENDLOADER HE FELL APPROX 10' TO THE GROUND.

1996 · 2 incidents

October 23, 1996 WV · Coal laborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scaler HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Cu Chi Mining Inc · Struck by falling object

TAKING SPEED REDUCER OFF SCOOP MOTOR. SPEED REDUCER FELL ON HAND.

January 26, 1996 WV · Coal bull gang foreman, labor foreman, leadman, section foreman, shift boss POWERED HAULAGE
Cu Chi Mining Inc · Caught in, under or between (Not Elsewhere Classified)

SECTION FOREMAN HAD MADE FIRE BOSS RUN & WAS ON HIS WAY BACK OUT RIDING 3-WHEEL. STARTED TO RUN THROUGH FLY STUCK HAND OUT, WENT THROUGH HOLE & DRUG HIM BACK. INJURED HIS ARM.