Chestnut Flats has $126K in proposed MSHA penalties and $3K outstanding across 27 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
19
Years on record
2007–2018
Latest incident
May 2018
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2007
251
citations
104
significant & substantial
$125,679
proposed penalties
$100,551
paid to date
80% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $25,128 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.
251 citations across 2,088 inspection hours.
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.
2
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2011-12-16.
On record since 2010.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
Chestnut Flats has $126K in proposed MSHA penalties and $3K outstanding across 27 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.
$126K
proposed penalties
$104K
current assessed
$101K
paid to date
$3K
outstanding
240 assessments are final orders; 27 contested dockets.
Of $172K in penalties contested before the Commission, $81K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2018-07-31.
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.
142citations taken to the federal commission · 57% of citations on record
Settled
130 · 92%
Stood as issued
3 · 2%
Vacated or withdrawn
9 · 6%
73%
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 81 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
53%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$172K proposed, $81K 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 2017-11-22.
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 Chestnut Flats shows 100% of 137 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: 2018-04-30, 8 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
137
samples
0.80
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.
107 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 30 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.
Chestnut Flats recorded 5.47 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2018.
Injury rate, 2018
ⓘ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.
5.47
total case rate
5.47
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.34 and the all-US-mining average was 2.33 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 3.81 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
2018 *
5.47
5.47
0.000
2015 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2014 *
22.29
22.29
0.000
2013 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2012 *
13.86
13.86
0.000
2011
5.98
5.98
0.000
2010
2.75
1.84
0.000
2009
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.
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)
2019
3
2018
19
70,011
2017
11
33,197
2015
15
185,641
2014
13
205,609
2013
18
62,286
2012
19
71,926
2011
46
278,755
2010
73
589,313
2009
45
393,036
2008
46
414,801
2007
36
331,944
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Chestnut Flats 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
2019 Q2
0
0
0
2019 Q1
321
0
0
0.0
2018 Q4
2,477
0
0
0.0
2018 Q3
6,514
3
0
460.5
2018 Q2
17,607
0
0
0.0
2018 Q1
9,985
2
0
200.3
2017 Q4
2,552
0
0
0.0
2017 Q3
3,614
2
0
553.4
Show 38 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2017 Q2
1,174
0
0
0.0
2017 Q1
3,204
1
0
312.1
2015 Q4
0
0
0
2015 Q3
0
0
0
2015 Q2
10,971
1
0
91.1
2015 Q1
19,118
3
1
156.9
2014 Q4
18,202
2
1
109.9
2014 Q3
16,988
5
0
294.3
2014 Q2
505
0
0
0.0
2014 Q1
188
3
2
15957.4
2013 Q4
0
0
0
2013 Q3
655
0
0
0.0
2013 Q2
16,654
5
0
300.2
2013 Q1
19,743
0
0
0.0
2012 Q4
14,434
5
0
346.4
2012 Q3
6,943
4
0
576.1
2012 Q2
6,542
0
0
0.0
2012 Q1
15,380
4
0
260.1
2011 Q4
37,768
2
1
53.0
2011 Q3
36,068
8
1
221.8
2011 Q2
30,155
2
1
66.3
2011 Q1
29,861
4
0
134.0
2010 Q4
50,220
9
1
179.2
2010 Q3
56,852
10
3
175.9
2010 Q2
58,092
19
6
327.1
2010 Q1
52,771
2
2
37.9
2009 Q4
44,923
13
9
289.4
2009 Q3
31,998
5
1
156.3
2009 Q2
37,284
0
0
0.0
2009 Q1
37,608
0
0
0.0
2008 Q4
33,900
34
13
1002.9
2008 Q3
36,564
0
0
0.0
2008 Q2
34,859
21
12
602.4
2008 Q1
28,655
12
6
418.8
2007 Q4
28,564
6
1
210.1
2007 Q3
29,905
18
15
601.9
2007 Q2
29,771
0
0
0.0
2007 Q1
17,101
5
5
292.4
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
19 on file
2018 · 1 incident
May 18, 2018KY · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Employee was changing lift cylinder on D-9 Dozer, as EE was putting cylinder in there was slack in cable and the cylinder moved back in place causing the cylinder to smash finger. Employee had surgery on left pinkie finger, it was smashed & cut.
2015 · 1 incident
March 23, 2015KY · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techMACHINERY
Employee was dressing around face-up of mine area when the corner of his dozer blade caught a gas line causing the dozer to catch on fire and he jumped out and broke left leg and brunt both hands.
November 18, 2014KY · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Employee was dismounting dozer for lunch, when he was getting off he twisted his lower back. He did not go to Doctor that day, but today (10-22-2012) he went to Dr's office in Harlan, Ky.
Employee was returning to the pit when for some unknown reason, the employee drove over the berm. The employee traveled approximately 144 feet down the embankment before the truck came to rest on its right side.
March 1, 2011KY · Coalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Employee was unstopping a rock crusher when he went to move a rock, and his foot fell through the grizzley, he went to catch himself and hurt his left hand.
2010 · 3 incidents
September 28, 2010KY · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerDISORDERS (REPEATED TRAUMA)
Employee was driving a 777D to the parking lot when his right front tire went through a water drain. The employee tried to back up causing his truck to overturn.
Employee was dumping a 777 haul truck, when the fire extinguisher became dislodged and fell onto the frame of the truck. When the employee lowered the bed of the truck, the fire extinguisher was crushed, filling the cab of the truck with the contents of the fire extinguisher.
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