Mining Incidents

Coal Hollow Mine: 136 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by Hufford V Williams
Pikeville, Pike County, KY  ·  Temporarily Idled
MSHA Mine ID: 1519039

Coal Hollow Mine has $16K in proposed MSHA penalties and $634 outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
2
Years on record
2011–2013
Latest incident
Nov 2013
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2007
136
citations
8
significant & substantial
$15,753
proposed penalties
$13,562
paid to date
86% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $2,191 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2006
98
inspections on record
3,559
inspection hours
3.8
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.
136 citations across 3,559 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Coal Hollow Mine has $16K in proposed MSHA penalties and $634 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
$14K
current assessed
$14K
paid to date
$634
outstanding
132 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $2K in penalties contested before the Commission, $100 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2015-02-10.
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.
6.1%
significant & substantial
0.8%
high negligence or reckless
6.1%
reasonably likely or greater
7.6%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 2.3% none, 31.1% low, 65.9% moderate, 0.8% 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 · 1% of citations on record
  • Settled 1 · 100%
94%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$2K 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 2010-02-01.
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 2010-544 Settlement Gill 2012 $2K → $100
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Coal Hollow Mine shows 94% of 454 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: 2014-10-09, 11 years ago
94%
within 1.5 mg/m3
454
samples
3.12
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.
203 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 251 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR237
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)56
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR22

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2013-06-11, 13 years ago
4.9
silica avg (%)
10
samples
6.3
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR5

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: 2014-03-27, 12 years ago
2%
over PEL
66
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)17
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR12
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (INTAKE SIDE)10
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
2014 98% 53
2013 93% 58
2012 100% 61
2011 92% 65
2010 94% 65
2009 100% 41
2008 98% 66
2007 78% 45
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2013 5.1 2
2012 4.2 2
2011 4.9 3
2009 5.4 1
2008 5.2 2
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2014 0% 8
2013 0% 1
2012 0% 15
2011 0% 8
2010 0% 7
2009 0% 6
2008 7% 14
2007 0% 7
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Coal Hollow 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
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 * 6.95 0.00 0.000
2012 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2010 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2008 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2007 * 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. Williams Bros. Coal Co., Inc. 2006 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 2
2025 1
2024 1
2023 1
2022 1
2021 1
2020 1
2019 1
2018 1
2017 1
2016 2
2015 6
2014 16 55,559
2013 19 91,118
2012 20 92,098
2011 16 76,904
2010 16 83,071
2009 16 71,377
2008 17 103,361
2007 17 89,522
2006 17 215
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Coal Hollow 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 1,040 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 520 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 520 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 520 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 520 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 520 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 520 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 520 0 0 0.0
Show 69 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 520 0 0 0.0
2024 Q1 520 0 0 0.0
2023 Q4 520 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 520 0 0 0.0
2023 Q2 520 0 0 0.0
2023 Q1 520 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 520 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 520 0 0 0.0
2022 Q2 520 0 0 0.0
2022 Q1 520 0 0 0.0
2021 Q4 520 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 520 0 0 0.0
2021 Q2 520 0 0 0.0
2021 Q1 520 0 0 0.0
2020 Q4 520 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 520 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 520 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 520 0 0 0.0
2019 Q4 520 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 512 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 520 0 0 0.0
2019 Q1 520 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 520 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 520 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 520 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 520 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 480 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 520 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 520 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 520 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 520 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 496 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 2,316 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 1,960 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 1,352 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 1,460 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 320 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 742 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 7,461 15 2 2010.5
2014 Q2 7,358 16 1 2174.5
2014 Q1 6,234 2 0 320.8
2013 Q4 6,832 7 1 1024.6
2013 Q3 7,148 5 0 699.5
2013 Q2 7,874 5 0 635.0
2013 Q1 6,928 2 0 288.7
2012 Q4 7,644 6 0 784.9
2012 Q3 6,871 4 0 582.2
2012 Q2 8,846 3 0 339.1
2012 Q1 7,296 2 0 274.1
2011 Q3 6,934 2 1 288.4
2011 Q2 8,667 1 0 115.4
2011 Q1 7,137 6 0 840.7
2010 Q4 7,469 5 0 669.4
2010 Q3 4,781 2 0 418.3
2010 Q2 7,388 4 0 541.4
2010 Q1 7,320 2 0 273.2
2009 Q4 7,356 4 1 543.8
2009 Q3 1,640 2 0 1219.5
2009 Q2 2,519 3 0 1190.9
2009 Q1 7,641 1 0 130.9
2008 Q4 7,333 2 0 272.7
2008 Q3 7,070 2 0 282.9
2008 Q2 7,122 3 0 421.2
2008 Q1 7,829 5 0 638.7
2007 Q4 7,118 9 1 1264.4
2007 Q3 7,182 2 0 278.5
2007 Q2 6,903 6 0 869.2
2007 Q1 4,086 3 1 734.2
2006 Q4 334 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

2 on file

2013 · 1 incident

November 1, 2013 KY · Coal continuous miner operator, coal mole operator FALLING/SLIDING/ROLLING MATERIALS
Williams Bros. Coal Co., Inc. · Fall onto or against objects

While employee was watching cable slack, the waterline which was hung from the roof behind him fell, striking him in back, forcing him to the ground. He hit face down on a piece of chain, causing a small cut to his forehead.

2011 · 1 incident

April 22, 2011 KY · Coal shuttle car operator, mantrip operator, ramcar operator, rail runner, buggy operator HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Williams Bros. Coal Co., Inc. · Over-exertion in pulling or pushing objects

EE complained of back pain while pulling slack on shuttle car cable.