Eastfork Surface Mine has $34K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 12 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
3
Years on record
2009–2015
Latest incident
Oct 2015
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2009
34
citations
13
significant & substantial
$34,095
proposed penalties
$25,965
paid to date
76% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $8,130 gap.
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: 609 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Eastfork Surface Mine has $34K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 12 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.
$34K
proposed penalties
$26K
current assessed
$26K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
34 assessments are final orders; 12 contested dockets.
Of $23K in penalties contested before the Commission, $15K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2015-08-17.
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.
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.
16citations taken to the federal commission · 47% of citations on record
Settled
16 · 100%
73%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 11 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
35%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$23K proposed, $15K 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 2015-04-14.
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.
MSHA sampling at Eastfork Surface Mine shows 99% of 94 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: 2015-12-01, 10 years ago
99%
within 1.5 mg/m3
94
samples
3.30
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.
60 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 34 by the operator.
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.
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.
Eastfork Surface Mine 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
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 3.76 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
2011
0.00
0.00
0.000
2010
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.
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)
2016
5
2015
18
20,727
2014
2
2012
11
41,329
2011
58
723,751
2010
91
1,641,114
2009
58
735,591
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Eastfork Surface Mine sits in Ohio County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 1.0% 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.
Ohio County, Kentucky · Population 23,704
1.0%
Mining share of county employment
$54,369
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
2016 Q1
481
0
0
0.0
2015 Q4
8,563
0
0
0.0
2015 Q3
5,353
1
0
186.8
2015 Q2
5,809
0
0
0.0
2015 Q1
4,131
1
0
242.1
2014 Q4
462
0
0
0.0
2012 Q4
0
0
0
2012 Q3
0
0
0
Show 12 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2012 Q2
2,207
0
0
0.0
2012 Q1
15,494
0
0
0.0
2011 Q4
22,715
3
2
132.1
2011 Q3
33,029
1
1
30.3
2011 Q2
37,109
2
1
53.9
2011 Q1
45,163
3
1
66.4
2010 Q4
42,551
0
0
0.0
2010 Q3
54,196
0
0
0.0
2010 Q2
56,192
0
0
0.0
2010 Q1
49,959
3
0
60.0
2009 Q4
41,376
0
0
0.0
2009 Q3
35,595
3
0
84.3
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
3 on file
2015 · 1 incident
October 6, 2015KY · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techPOWERED HAULAGE
Employee was repairing a machine and lifted a part with his service truck crane. When he brought the cable back up it caught on bumper of service truck, came loose hitting and lacerating above left eye requiring sutures.
Operator was climbing up the steps of a Cat 773 water truck when he lost his grip causing him to fall back to the ground. He tried to break the fall by throwing his arm back and fractured his wrist when he hit the ground.
2009 · 1 incident
December 16, 2009KY · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON