Mining Incidents

DEAN COAL&STONE: 54 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by Russell K Dean
Evarts, Harlan County, KY  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1518653

DEAN COAL&STONE has $9K in proposed MSHA penalties and $7K outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
2024
Latest incident
Mar 2024
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2006
54
citations
7
significant & substantial
$8,847
proposed penalties
$1,461
paid to date
17% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $7,386 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2003
60
inspections on record
823
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: 823 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

DEAN COAL&STONE has $9K in proposed MSHA penalties and $7K outstanding across 0 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.
$9K
proposed penalties
$9K
current assessed
$1K
paid to date
$7K
outstanding
50 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-03-31.
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.
13.7%
significant & substantial
2.0%
high negligence or reckless
13.7%
reasonably likely or greater
7.8%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 39.2% low, 58.8% moderate, 2.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at DEAN COAL&STONE shows 100% of 42 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: 2025-03-06
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
42
samples
0.36
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.
35 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 7 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR14
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER10
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR4

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2023-12-14
2.9
silica avg (%)
1
samples
2.9
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER 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: 2025-03-06
0%
over PEL
35
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER10
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR7
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR4
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
2025 100% 4
2024 100% 8
2023 100% 12
2015 100% 4
2011 100% 10
2009 100% 4
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2025 0% 4
2024 0% 5
2023 0% 9
2015 0% 3
2011 0% 10
2009 0% 4
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

DEAN COAL&STONE recorded 8.33 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2024.

Injury rate, 2024
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.
8.33
total case rate
8.33
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.16 and the all-US-mining average was 2.08 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.17 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.
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. C & C Mining Inc 2003 to 2014
  2. Dean Coal & Stone LLC 2014 to 2017
  3. Harlan County Stone LLC 2017 to 2018
  4. Black Mountain Energy, LLC 2018 to 2018
  5. Halco Services, LLC 2018 to 2022
  6. DEAN COAL & STONE LLC 2022 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)
2025 2
2024 13
2017 0
2016 0
2015 3 10,492
2012 0
2011 2
2005 0
2004 0
2003 1
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

DEAN COAL&STONE sits in Harlan County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 4.3% 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.
Harlan County, Kentucky · Population 26,185
4.3%
Mining share of county employment
$37,198
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
2025 Q2 702 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 4,378 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 6,936 8 0 1153.4
2024 Q2 7,780 2 0 257.1
2024 Q1 4,916 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 0 0 0
2017 Q1 0 0 0
2016 Q4 0 0 0
Show 16 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2016 Q3 0 0 0
2016 Q2 0 0 0
2016 Q1 0 0 0
2015 Q4 600 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 2,600 2 0 769.2
2015 Q2 1,680 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 0 0 0
2012 Q3 0 0 0
2012 Q2 0 0 0
2012 Q1 0 0 0
2011 Q4 320 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 320 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 320 2 1 6250.0
2005 Q3 0 0 0
2004 Q2 0 0 0
2003 Q4 20 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2024 · 1 incident

March 25, 2024 KY · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman HANDLING OF MATERIALS
DEAN COAL & STONE LLC · Struck by flying object

While sorting for quality and size for sale, employee number 1 accidently threw and struck employee number 2. As a result, employee 2 has a small cut behind the left ear that required a trip to the emergency room. Treatment included cleaning and placement of 2 staples close to the wound.