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D-12 Kellioka: 103 MSHA citations Coal

Blackjewel L.L.C. · Underground
Controlled by Jeffery A Hoops
Partridge, Letcher County, KY  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1519715

D-12 Kellioka has $22K in proposed MSHA penalties and $1K outstanding across 6 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
2
Years on record
2014
Latest incident
Oct 2014
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2014
103
citations
19
significant & substantial
$22,390
proposed penalties
$19,789
paid to date
88% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $2,601 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Blackjewel L.L.C.'s full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2013
55
inspections on record
2,802
inspection hours
3.7
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.
103 citations across 2,802 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

D-12 Kellioka has $22K in proposed MSHA penalties and $1K outstanding across 6 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.
$22K
proposed penalties
$21K
current assessed
$20K
paid to date
$1K
outstanding
100 assessments are final orders; 6 contested dockets.
Of $12K in penalties contested before the Commission, $8K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2020-06-30.
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.
19.0%
significant & substantial
2.0%
high negligence or reckless
19.0%
reasonably likely or greater
5.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 15.0% low, 83.0% moderate, 2.0% 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.
12 citations taken to the federal commission · 12% of citations on record
  • Settled 9 · 75%
  • Stood as issued 3 · 25%
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 6 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
34%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$12K proposed, $8K 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 2018-06-25.
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 2015-0237 Settlement Paez 2015 $4K → $2K
KENT 2015-0545 Settlement Miller 2015 $3K → $2K
KENT 2015-0336 Settlement Lesnick 2015 $2K → $2K
KENT 2015-0588 Settlement Miller 2016 $1K → $754
KENT 2017-0088 Settlement Moran 2017 $729 → $545
KENT 2018-0323 Default Lesnick 2018 $354 → $354
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at D-12 Kellioka shows 93% of 136 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: 2015-05-27, 11 years ago
93%
within 1.5 mg/m3
136
samples
5.61
dust max (mg/m3)
8
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.
69 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 67 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR60
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)23
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)7

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2015-05-14, 11 years ago
12.3
silica avg (%)
15
samples
22.1
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR6
See US coal mines ranked by silica in their dust samples.

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: 2015-03-24, 11 years ago
24%
over PEL
21
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR5
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)5
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (INTAKE SIDE)4
See US mines ranked by noise samples over the legal limit.
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
2015 98% 65
2014 89% 71
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2015 11.5 8
2014 13.2 7
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2015 30% 10
2014 18% 11
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

D-12 Kellioka recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2015.

Injury rate, 2015
ⓘ 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 3.76 and the all-US-mining average was 2.72 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.56 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
2015 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2014 * 5.81 2.91 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. North Fork Coal Corp 2014 to 2015
  2. Blackjewel L.L.C. 2015 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)
2019 0
2018 2
2017 3
2016 2
2015 31 105,715
2014 32 93,848
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

D-12 Kellioka sits in Letcher County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 3.5% 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.
Letcher County, Kentucky · Population 21,146
3.5%
Mining share of county employment
$40,501
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 Q1 0 0 0
2018 Q4 1,140 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 0 0 0
2018 Q2 2,124 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 2,039 3 0 1471.3
2017 Q4 2,039 1 0 490.4
2017 Q3 1,180 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 1,230 5 0 4065.0
Show 13 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2017 Q1 1,283 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 1,185 1 0 843.9
2016 Q3 1,285 2 1 1556.4
2016 Q2 1,081 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 1,080 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 1,176 3 1 2551.0
2015 Q3 1,083 2 0 1846.7
2015 Q2 32,864 18 1 547.7
2015 Q1 24,302 25 4 1028.7
2014 Q4 20,550 16 8 778.6
2014 Q3 20,663 9 2 435.6
2014 Q2 17,834 4 1 224.3
2014 Q1 9,761 10 1 1024.5
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

2 on file

2014 · 2 incidents

October 16, 2014 KY · Coal electrician, lineman DUST DISEASE OF LUNGS
North Fork Coal Corp · Inhalation of radiations, caustics, toxic and noxious substances

Coal dust Black Lung

September 21, 2014 KY · Coal laborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scaler HANDLING OF MATERIALS
North Fork Coal Corp · Struck against stationary object

Employee was stacking block off of a pallet and hit his left knee on the corner of the block and felt pain in his knee.