Derby Strip #9: 18 MSHA citations Coal
J.W. Construction Company Inc.
· Surface
Controlled by
Jerry W Wharton
APPALACHIA,
Wise County,
VA
·
NonProducing
MSHA Mine ID: 4407422
Derby Strip #9 has $4K in proposed MSHA penalties and $2K outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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- Fatalities
- 0
- Total incidents
- 0
- Years on record
- —
- Latest incident
- —
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2023
18
citations
6
significant & substantial
$3,827
proposed penalties
$1,594
paid to date
42% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $2,233 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2023
11
inspections on record
367
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: 367 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Derby Strip #9 has $4K in proposed MSHA penalties and $2K 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.$4K
proposed penalties
$4K
current assessed
$2K
paid to date
$2K
outstanding
15 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-07-08.
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.33.3%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
33.3%
reasonably likely or greater
22.2%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 33.3% low, 66.7% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
MSHA sampling at Derby Strip #9 shows 100% of 55 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: 2026-07-08
ⓘ
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
55
samples
0.70
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.34 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 21 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR23
- HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR13
- BACKHOE OPERATOR7
Silica (quartz)
Last sampled: 2026-07-154.5
silica avg (%)
5
samples
7.8
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR4
- 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: 2025-12-11
ⓘ
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
21
samples
Most-sampled occupations
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR6
- REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE4
- BACKHOE OPERATOR3
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% | 7 |
| 2025 | 100% | 18 |
| 2024 | 100% | 20 |
| 2023 | 100% | 10 |
Silica (quartz) by year
| Year | silica avg (%) | samples |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1.9 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6.1 | 1 |
| 2024 | 4.9 | 3 |
Noise by year
| Year | over PEL | samples |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0% | 5 |
| 2024 | 0% | 11 |
| 2023 | 0% | 5 |
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Derby Strip #9 recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2025.
Injury rate, 2025
ⓘ
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
No reportable injury cases in any year shown. Employee-hours were reported in each of those years, so these are true zeros rather than missing data. Citations, listed in the compliance record above, are inspector-found violations and are counted separately from worker injuries.
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.19 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 2.97 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 * | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.000 |
| 2024 * | 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
- IRON MOUNTAIN COLLIERIES, LLC. 2022 to 2023
- J.W. Construction Company Inc. 2023 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 | 20 | 65,823 |
| 2025 | 22 | 121,572 |
| 2024 | 15 | 51,119 |
| 2023 | 14 | 21,903 |
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Derby Strip #9 sits in Wise County, Virginia, where the Census mining category is 5.9% 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.Wise County, Virginia · Population 35,727
5.9%
Mining share of county employment
$50,740
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 | 13,137 | 2 | 0 | 152.2 |
| 2026 Q1 | 11,375 | 1 | 0 | 87.9 |
| 2025 Q4 | 13,255 | 4 | 2 | 301.8 |
| 2025 Q3 | 7,836 | 2 | 1 | 255.2 |
| 2025 Q2 | 16,053 | 1 | 0 | 62.3 |
| 2025 Q1 | 17,551 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2024 Q4 | 12,111 | 2 | 2 | 165.1 |
| 2024 Q3 | 2,383 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
Show 4 earlier quarters Hide earlier quarters
| Quarter | Hours worked | Citations | S&S | Per 1M hrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Q2 | 9,947 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2024 Q1 | 12,832 | 2 | 0 | 155.9 |
| 2023 Q4 | 14,480 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2023 Q3 | 901 | 2 | 1 | 2219.8 |
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.