Mining Incidents

Davis Energy / Red Bush: 28 MSHA citations Coal

Clay Laurel Mining Incorporated · Surface
Controlled by Edward Paul Sizemore
Buckhorn, Breathitt County, KY  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1519593

Davis Energy / Red Bush has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $1 outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

Watch this mine

Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at Davis Energy / Red Bush.

Fatalities
0
Total incidents
0
Years on record
Latest incident
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2011
28
citations
11
significant & substantial
$4,744
proposed penalties
$4,558
paid to date
96% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $186 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2011
12
inspections on record
262
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: 262 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Davis Energy / Red Bush has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $1 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.
$5K
proposed penalties
$5K
current assessed
$5K
paid to date
$1
outstanding
27 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $285 in penalties contested before the Commission, $100 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2013-10-09.
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.
40.7%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
40.7%
reasonably likely or greater
3.7%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 3.7% low, 96.3% moderate, 0.0% 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.
1 citations taken to the federal commission · 4% of citations on record
  • Settled 1 · 100%
0%
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 1 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
65%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$285 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 2014-03-11.
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 2014-0329 Settlement Simonton 2014 $285 → $100
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Davis Energy / Red Bush shows 100% of 13 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: 2013-09-05, 13 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
13
samples
0.58
dust max (mg/m3)
13 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER4
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE3
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR2

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2012-01-12, 14 years ago
11.4
silica avg (%)
1
samples
11.4
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • 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: 2013-09-05, 13 years ago
8%
over PEL
12
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER4
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE3
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR2
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
2013 100% 3
2011 100% 10
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2013 0% 3
2011 11% 9
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. Red Bush LLC 2011 to 2013
  2. Clay Laurel Mining Incorporated 2013 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)
2014 3 2,738
2013 4 9,910
2012 5 2,640
2011 7 9,595
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Davis Energy / Red Bush sits in Breathitt County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 2.3% 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.
Breathitt County, Kentucky · Population 13,438
2.3%
Mining share of county employment
$41,101
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
2014 Q3 30 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 660 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 1,200 1 0 833.3
2013 Q3 1,000 2 0 2000.0
2012 Q1 1,356 4 1 2949.9
2011 Q4 4,160 4 2 961.5

No reportable incidents on file.

MSHA has no recorded reportable accidents for this mine in the current dataset. New reports appear here within a week of being filed.