Mining Incidents

Chisholm South Surface Mine: 58 MSHA citations Coal

Clintwood JOD, LLC · Surface
Controlled by JOD Holdings LLC
Phelps, Pike County, KY  ·  NonProducing
MSHA Mine ID: 1519544

Chisholm South Surface Mine has $16K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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
2014
Latest incident
Oct 2014
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2012
58
citations
21
significant & substantial
$16,022
proposed penalties
$16,022
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2011
42
inspections on record
976
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: 976 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Chisholm South Surface Mine has $16K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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.
$16K
proposed penalties
$16K
current assessed
$16K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
56 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $4K in penalties contested before the Commission, $4K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2017-06-13.
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.
36.8%
significant & substantial
3.5%
high negligence or reckless
36.8%
reasonably likely or greater
22.8%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 31.6% low, 64.9% moderate, 3.5% 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.
2 citations taken to the federal commission · 3% of citations on record
  • Stood as issued 2 · 100%
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 2 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$4K proposed, $4K 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 2015-12-21.
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 2016-0136 Default Lesnick 2016 $4K → $4K
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Chisholm South Surface Mine shows 100% of 72 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: 2017-10-24, 8 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
72
samples
0.96
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.
52 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 20 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR28
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR16
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE11

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2017-03-21, 9 years ago
20.4
silica avg (%)
7
samples
35.9
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR6
  • HIGHWALL DRILL 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: 2017-06-28, 9 years ago
0%
over PEL
31
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR9
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER6
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE6
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
2017 100% 12
2016 100% 19
2015 100% 3
2014 100% 13
2013 100% 13
2012 100% 12
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2017 18.3 1
2016 10.5 3
2015 24.1 1
2014 35.9 1
2013 33.2 1
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2017 0% 6
2016 0% 3
2015 0% 3
2014 0% 5
2013 0% 7
2012 0% 7
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Chisholm South Surface Mine recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2014.

Injury rate, 2014
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 3.96 and the all-US-mining average was 2.93 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.63 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
2014 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2013 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2012 * 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. Apex Energy, Inc. 2010 to 2019
  2. Clintwood JOD, LLC 2019 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)
2026 0
2025 0
2024 1
2023 0
2022 0
2021 0
2020 0
2019 0
2018 0
2017 5 13,031
2016 16 24,549
2015 15 21,004
2014 13 104,745
2013 27 187,552
2012 27 202,948
2011 2 17,117
2010 0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Chisholm South Surface Mine sits in Pike County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 5.1% 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.
Pike County, Kentucky · Population 57,466
5.1%
Mining share of county employment
$42,179
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 0 0 0
2025 Q4 0 0 0
2025 Q3 0 0 0
2025 Q2 30 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 0 0 0
2024 Q4 40 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 110 0 0 0.0
Show 55 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 0 0 0
2024 Q1 0 0 0
2023 Q4 0 0 0
2023 Q3 0 0 0
2023 Q2 0 0 0
2023 Q1 0 0 0
2022 Q4 0 0 0
2022 Q3 0 0 0
2022 Q2 0 0 0
2022 Q1 0 0 0
2021 Q4 0 0 0
2021 Q3 0 0 0
2021 Q2 0 0 0
2021 Q1 0 0 0
2020 Q4 0 0 0
2020 Q3 0 0 0
2020 Q2 0 0 0
2020 Q1 0 0 0
2019 Q4 0 0 0
2019 Q3 0 0 0
2019 Q2 0 0 0
2019 Q1 0 0 0
2018 Q4 0 0 0
2018 Q3 0 0 0
2018 Q2 0 0 0
2018 Q1 0 0 0
2017 Q4 4,673 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 3,030 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 2,591 1 0 386.0
2017 Q1 2,778 1 0 360.0
2016 Q4 4,577 11 1 2403.3
2016 Q3 3,659 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 5,275 5 0 947.9
2016 Q1 5,177 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 2,297 4 3 1741.4
2015 Q3 3,280 6 3 1829.3
2015 Q2 1,856 3 1 1616.4
2015 Q1 0 0 0
2014 Q4 6,728 1 0 148.6
2014 Q3 7,203 2 0 277.7
2014 Q2 11,610 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 14,464 2 2 138.3
2013 Q4 18,446 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 14,994 4 1 266.8
2013 Q2 20,127 1 0 49.7
2013 Q1 17,644 3 2 170.0
2012 Q4 20,434 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 15,832 3 2 189.5
2012 Q2 19,000 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 14,492 2 1 138.0
2011 Q4 7,107 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 0 0 0
2011 Q2 0 0 0
2011 Q1 0 0 0
2010 Q4 0 0 0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2014 · 1 incident

October 13, 2014 KY · Coal blaster, shooter, shotfirer, explosive worker, powder gang/monkey OTHER
Apex Energy, Inc. · Absorption of radiations, caustics, toxic and noxious substances

Employee was unlocking a magazine when a bat bit him on the right hand index finger