Paramont Contura, LLC · Over-exertion in lifting objects
Employee states EE was handing over a fuel can to another employee when EE felt a sharp pain in EE's back.
DEEP MINE 46: 39 MSHA citations Coal
Paramont Contura, LLC
· Underground
Controlled by
Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc
MSHA Mine ID: 4407433
DEEP MINE 46 has had no fatalities among 2 reportable incidents since 2026. MSHA has proposed $21K in penalties since 2025, with $15K outstanding.
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Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at DEEP MINE 46.
- Fatalities
- 0
- Total incidents
- 2
- Years on record
- 2026
- Latest incident
- Aug 2026
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2025
39
citations
14
significant & substantial
$20,892
proposed penalties
$5,768
paid to date
28% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $15,124 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2025
14
inspections on record
927
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: 927 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Imminent-danger orders
ⓘ
A Section 107(a) order removes miners from an area when an inspector finds an imminent danger. Each order is lifted once the condition is corrected, so this counts orders issued, not orders now in effect.1
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2025-09-17.
On record since 2025.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
DEEP MINE 46 has $21K in proposed MSHA penalties and $15K outstanding across 2 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.$21K
proposed penalties
$21K
current assessed
$6K
paid to date
$15K
outstanding
20 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-08-04.
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.38.9%
significant & substantial
13.9%
high negligence or reckless
38.9%
reasonably likely or greater
38.9%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 11.1% low, 75.0% moderate, 13.9% 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 · 5% of citations on record
- Still open 2 · 100%
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 2026-07-23.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VA 2026-0004 | Decision pending | |||
| VA 2026-0020 | Decision pending |
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
MSHA sampling at DEEP MINE 46 shows 100% of 332 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: 2026-10-01
ⓘ
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.100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
332
samples
1.30
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.66 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 266 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
- SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)135
- CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR79
- ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)70
Silica (quartz)
Last sampled: 2026-09-154.4
silica avg (%)
24
samples
7.9
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
- SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)9
- ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)8
- CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR6
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: 2026-09-08
ⓘ
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.0%
over PEL
39
samples
Most-sampled occupations
- REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE6
- BACKHOE OPERATOR4
- CONTINUOUS MINER 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 100% | 318 |
| 2025 | 100% | 14 |
Noise by year
| Year | over PEL | samples |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0% | 24 |
| 2025 | 0% | 15 |
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
- Paramont Contura, LLC 2025 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 | 18 | 37,263 |
| 2025 | 0 |
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly; years before 2000 come from MSHA's archived Part 50 employment files.
DEEP MINE 46 sits in Dickenson County, Virginia, where the Census mining category is 9.8% 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.Dickenson County, Virginia · Population 13,920
9.8%
Mining share of county employment
$43,831
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; earlier incidents are counted but not rate-adjusted, though reported hours reach back to 1983. 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 | 18,870 | 11 | 6 | 582.9 |
| 2026 Q1 | 4,064 | 6 | 1 | 1476.4 |
| 2025 Q4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2025 Q3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | |
| 2025 Q2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
2 on file2026 · 2 incidents
Paramont Contura, LLC · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)
Employee was cleaning up the left side of cut when rock fell in the cut. Employee was standing at the second row of bolts. When the rock fell in the cut a rock rolled back and struck the employee in the right leg.