Mining Incidents

CARICO RIDGE MINE: 16 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by Alex A Housley
Nora, Dickenson County, VA  ·  Temporarily Idled
MSHA Mine ID: 1519186

CARICO RIDGE MINE has $2K in proposed MSHA penalties and $572 outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
2010
Latest incident
Jan 2010
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2008
16
citations
2
significant & substantial
$1,960
proposed penalties
$1,388
paid to date
71% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $572 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2008
20
inspections on record
394
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: 394 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

CARICO RIDGE MINE has $2K in proposed MSHA penalties and $572 outstanding across 1 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.
$2K
proposed penalties
$2K
current assessed
$1K
paid to date
$572
outstanding
16 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $100 in penalties contested before the Commission, $100 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2023-01-23.
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.
12.5%
significant & substantial
12.5%
high negligence or reckless
12.5%
reasonably likely or greater
12.5%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 18.8% low, 68.8% moderate, 12.5% 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.
1 citations taken to the federal commission · 6% of citations on record
  • Stood as issued 1 · 100%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$100 proposed, $100 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 2010-09-14.
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 2010-1567 Default Lesnick 2011 $100 → $100
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at CARICO RIDGE MINE shows 100% of 24 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: 2023-01-23, 3 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
24
samples
0.56
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.
24 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • AUGER HELPER11
  • AUGER OPERATOR9
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR1

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: 2023-01-23, 3 years ago
0%
over PEL
24
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • AUGER OPERATOR11
  • AUGER HELPER9
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR1
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
2023 100% 2
2021 100% 3
2018 100% 2
2015 100% 4
2011 100% 2
2010 100% 2
2009 100% 4
2008 100% 5
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2023 0% 2
2021 0% 3
2018 0% 2
2015 0% 4
2011 0% 2
2010 0% 2
2009 0% 4
2008 0% 5
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. Green Hill Mining Inc 2008 to 2015
  2. Orr Auger Mining LLC 2015 to 2021
  3. RESOURCE MGMT. & RECOVERY LLC 2021 to 2022
  4. TRIPLE H FUELS, INC. 2022 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)
2022 1 279
2021 2 7,682
2019 0
2018 2 1,402
2016 0
2015 2 17,543
2012 2 1,295
2011 2 25,871
2010 2 23,054
2009 2 5,841
2008 1 7,590
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

CARICO RIDGE MINE sits in Dickenson County, Virginia, where the Census mining category is 9.8% 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.
Dickenson County, Virginia · Population 13,920
9.8%
Mining share of county employment
$43,831
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
2022 Q4 115 0 0 0.0
2022 Q2 0 0 0
2021 Q4 0 0 0
2021 Q3 1,127 0 0 0.0
2021 Q2 1,742 3 1 1722.2
2019 Q2 0 0 0
2018 Q4 449 1 0 2227.2
2016 Q4 0 0 0
Show 18 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2015 Q4 820 1 0 1219.5
2015 Q3 880 1 0 1136.4
2015 Q2 150 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 709 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 899 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 1,277 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 747 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 415 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 393 0 0 0.0
2010 Q3 1,130 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 700 1 0 1428.6
2010 Q1 519 0 0 0.0
2009 Q4 624 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 196 2 0 10204.1
2009 Q2 406 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 0 0 0
2008 Q3 817 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 855 1 0 1169.6
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2010 · 1 incident

January 13, 2010 VA · Coal auger operator, auger crew supervisor HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Green Hill Mining Inc · Over-exertion in lifting objects

EE was changing grease barrel-120lb. can on auger. EE lifted grease pump out of empty barrel and felt something pull in his back. This EE has a history of back problems pre-employment. He has had back surgery and should not of been lifting anything that heavy.