Elk Creek Plant has $417K in proposed MSHA penalties and $93K outstanding across 22 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
73
Years on record
1984–2026
Latest incident
Jul 2026
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2007
581
citations
144
significant & substantial
$417,099
proposed penalties
$194,118
paid to date
47% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $222,981 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.
581 citations across 4,904 inspection hours.
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: 2019-03-11.
On record since 2019.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
Elk Creek Plant has $417K in proposed MSHA penalties and $93K outstanding across 22 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.
$417K
proposed penalties
$287K
current assessed
$194K
paid to date
$93K
outstanding
534 assessments are final orders; 22 contested dockets.
Of $260K in penalties contested before the Commission, $113K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-07-09.
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.
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.
120citations taken to the federal commission · 21% of citations on record
Settled
99 · 83%
Stood as issued
1 · 1%
Vacated or withdrawn
10 · 8%
Still open
10 · 8%
56%
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 66 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
58%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$260K proposed, $109K 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 2026-06-02.
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 Elk Creek Plant shows 99% of 162 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: 2026-06-23
99%
within 1.5 mg/m3
162
samples
1.80
dust max (mg/m3)
1
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.
86 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 76 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.
Elk Creek Plant recorded 0.79 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.
0.79
total case rate
0.79
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.19 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 3.89 cases per 100 workers that year.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2025
0.79
0.79
0.000
2024
0.86
0.00
0.000
2023
0.84
0.84
0.000
2022
0.00
0.00
0.000
2021
0.00
0.00
0.000
2020
4.26
2.13
0.000
2019
1.20
1.20
0.000
2018
1.79
0.00
0.000
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
Year
Employees
2026
106
2025
109
2024
100
2023
107
2022
94
2021
81
2020
78
2019
70
2018
54
2017
6
2016
0
2015
0
2014
0
2013
0
2012
0
2008
1
2007
1
2006
1
2005
1
2004
1
2003
1
2002
1
2001
1
2000
2
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Elk Creek Plant sits in Logan County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 6.6% 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.
Logan County, West Virginia · Population 31,826
6.6%
Mining share of county employment
$47,237
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
61,588
14
2
227.3
2026 Q1
64,091
11
1
171.6
2025 Q4
61,092
2
1
32.7
2025 Q3
65,160
70
10
1074.3
2025 Q2
66,662
8
3
120.0
2025 Q1
61,337
7
1
114.1
2024 Q4
56,428
16
2
283.5
2024 Q3
57,228
4
3
69.9
Show 76 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2
57,077
16
3
280.3
2024 Q1
60,772
8
6
131.6
2023 Q4
57,426
33
7
574.7
2023 Q3
60,651
6
1
98.9
2023 Q2
61,047
9
3
147.4
2023 Q1
59,194
12
2
202.7
2022 Q4
55,278
1
1
18.1
2022 Q3
56,804
7
1
123.2
2022 Q2
54,848
4
0
72.9
2022 Q1
54,072
11
3
203.4
2021 Q4
49,391
1
0
20.2
2021 Q3
53,072
4
0
75.4
2021 Q2
49,520
11
1
222.1
2021 Q1
49,469
18
4
363.9
2020 Q4
46,326
0
0
0.0
2020 Q3
45,534
1
1
22.0
2020 Q2
44,087
11
1
249.5
2020 Q1
51,675
2
0
38.7
2019 Q4
44,154
9
2
203.8
2019 Q3
45,790
0
0
0.0
2019 Q2
42,572
27
11
634.2
2019 Q1
34,697
17
2
490.0
2018 Q4
31,289
1
1
32.0
2018 Q3
30,839
5
0
162.1
2018 Q2
26,113
15
2
574.4
2018 Q1
23,788
20
6
840.8
2017 Q4
9,888
1
0
101.1
2017 Q3
1,740
0
0
0.0
2017 Q2
1,200
0
0
0.0
2017 Q1
960
0
0
0.0
2016 Q4
480
0
0
0.0
2016 Q3
0
0
0
2016 Q1
0
0
0
2015 Q4
0
0
0
2015 Q3
0
0
0
2015 Q2
0
2
0
2015 Q1
0
0
0
2014 Q4
0
0
0
2014 Q3
0
0
0
2014 Q2
0
1
0
2014 Q1
0
2
2
2013 Q4
0
0
0
2013 Q3
0
0
0
2013 Q2
0
0
0
2013 Q1
0
6
3
2012 Q4
0
0
0
2012 Q3
0
0
0
2008 Q4
120
0
0
0.0
2008 Q3
720
0
0
0.0
2008 Q1
131
0
0
0.0
2007 Q4
187
0
0
0.0
2007 Q3
56
0
0
0.0
2007 Q2
141
1
1
7092.2
2006 Q4
36
0
0
0.0
2006 Q3
142
0
0
0.0
2006 Q2
112
0
0
0.0
2006 Q1
137
0
0
0.0
2005 Q4
116
0
0
0.0
2005 Q2
162
0
0
0.0
2005 Q1
146
0
0
0.0
2004 Q4
164
0
0
0.0
2004 Q3
136
0
0
0.0
2004 Q2
130
0
0
0.0
2003 Q2
243
0
0
0.0
2002 Q4
380
0
0
0.0
2002 Q3
377
0
0
0.0
2002 Q2
405
0
0
0.0
2002 Q1
432
0
0
0.0
2001 Q4
385
0
0
0.0
2001 Q3
372
0
0
0.0
2001 Q2
360
0
0
0.0
2001 Q1
280
0
0
0.0
2000 Q4
630
0
0
0.0
2000 Q3
1,022
0
0
0.0
2000 Q2
1,052
0
0
0.0
2000 Q1
1,038
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
73 on file
2026 · 2 incidents
July 26, 2026WV · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Ramaco Resources, LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Employee was removing a top roller frame from the Raw Coal Belt No. 3 when they lost grip and their fingers were caught between the structure and roller frame, resulting in a laceration.
February 22, 2026WV · Coalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorHANDLING OF MATERIALS
EE was removing scrap metal from a muddy area when EE felt a pain in EE's back. EE visited the hospital on 2-24-26 and received a full release. EE worked until 2-26-26 when EE followed up with a PCP and was given another full release. EE went back to PCP on 3-5-26 when EE was taken out of full-duty work
A loaded coal truck collided with an empty coal truck while traveling in opposite directions. The operator of loaded coal truck experienced soreness and was written off work.
A loaded coal truck collided with an empty coal truck while traveling in opposite directions. This incident resulted in a broken leg for the operator in the empty coal truck.
February 18, 2025WV · Coalbeltman, conveyor man, conveyor belt worker, mobile bridge carrierman, feeder operator, conveyor riderSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Employee was climbing off the belt after clearing the grizzly bars and twisted EE's right ankle on 2/18/2025. The employee was later treated on 2/20/2025 and received a full release. The employee later sought treatment again on 2/26/2025 and was written off work at that time.
2024 · 1 incident
May 9, 2024WV · Coalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Employee was carrying a bucket with an electric saw inside of the bucket. The saw started to fall out of the bucket and the employee went to catch the saw and contacted the bar of the saw creating an incision. The saw was not operating nor on at time of contact, the action of grabbing the bar as it was falling caused the injury.
2023 · 1 incident
September 2, 2023WV · Coalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Employee ran into diversion ditch while operating a coal truck and the truck turned on it's side. The employee slid from the drivers side to the passenger side of the truck.
2020 · 4 incidents
November 23, 2020WV · Coalprep plant foreman, supervisor, mill plant supervisor, kiln supervisorSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Employee was cleaning out belly pan discharge and material fell from the chute and knocked EE down causing EE's hard hat to fall off and the employee lost EE's balance and fell. When EE fell, EE struck EE's head on a piece of metal.
September 21, 2020WV · Coalcrane operator, mobile equipment operator (meo), dragline operator, dropball operator, riggerPOWERED HAULAGE
Ramaco Resources, LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Employee was backing up to dump an Artic truck and the bed rolled to the side. The employee stated that when the bed rolled to the side, the seat belt tightened up creating pressure on EE's left hip. The employee was transported to LRMC and was written off work because of a possible pinched nerve.
January 25, 2020WV · Coalhaul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driverSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
The Employee stated, the EE was exiting an articulation truck. While climbing down the ladder EE fell from the ladder hitting the ground, landing on right hand. Employee was released to return to work in two days, but went for second opinion, and referred for MRI at a later date.
January 5, 2020WV · Coalprep plant foreman, supervisor, mill plant supervisor, kiln supervisorHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Ramaco Resources, LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Employee was securing an electric motor and the employees hand was caught in a pinch point pinching the left index finger.
2019 · 2 incidents
October 23, 2019WV · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanMACHINERY
The employee stated that EE injured EE's shoulder on 10/14/19 and was taken to a medical facility and examined and it was determined EE had a sprain and considered a "first aid case". On 3/30/2020, the employee stated that EE's shoulder was aching again and EE went to a medical facility and was written off beginning on 3/31/2020.
2018 · 2 incidents
December 18, 2018WV · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Employee lost balance while cleaning up work area and tried to catch self with right arm. When body weight came down on arm, employee felt sharp pain in arm. EE was taken to the hospital and examined and the result was a torn muscle in bicep area.
June 14, 2018WV · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanMACHINERY
EE WAS POSITIONING HIMSELF TO HOLD A METAL PLATE ON THE SIDE OF A COAL CHUTE, WHEN A BRACE UNDER HIS LEFT FOOT GAVE WAY. EE STATED THAT HE TWISTED HIS BACK. NO FALL OCCURRED.
1993 · 2 incidents
July 8, 1993WV · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS
EMPLOYEE WAS BOLTING A PIECE OF WATER LINE TOGETHER WHEN HE RAISED THE PIPE UP AND FELT A PAIN IN HIS GROIN AREA. EMPLOYEE WORKED UNTIL AUGUST 6, 1993.
INJURED WAS LIFTING A SAMPLE BAG FULL OF COAL IN THE CLEAN COAL STORAGE AREA AND AS HE WAS SETTING IT UPON THE ROAD BERM OUT OF THE ROAD HE STRAINED HIS BACK.
September 10, 1992WV · Coalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorMACHINERY
I NAME WAS CLIMBING OFF OF THE LOADED RR CAR WHEN HE LOST HIS FOOTING/FOOT SLIPPED HE FELL TO THE GROUND HITTING THE SIDE OF THE RR CAR AS HE CAME DOWN HE SCRAPED HIS LEFT THIGH & SAID THAT HE MIGHT HAVE HURT HIS BACK
March 19, 1991WV · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techSTEPPING OR KNEELING ON OBJECT
INJURED WAS PUTTING UP A CAR DOOR ON 2/23/89 AND SLIPPED AND FELL AND TWISTED HIS ANKLE. HE CAME BACK TO WORK 1 AND ON 2/27/89 HE WAS CLIMBING DOWN LADDER ON RAILROAD CAR AND TWISTED HIS ANKLE AGAIN.
February 20, 1989WV · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerPOWERED HAULAGE
WAS GOIND UP ST9P. TO ANSWER PHONE AND SLIPPED AND HIT HAND AGAINST RAILING.
July 28, 1986WV · Coalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorSTEPPING OR KNEELING ON OBJECT