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: 581 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Essex Mine has $10K in proposed MSHA penalties and $412 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.
$10K
proposed penalties
$10K
current assessed
$9K
paid to date
$412
outstanding
61 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2005-12-21.
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.
MSHA sampling at Essex Mine shows 80% of 79 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: 2006-01-19, 20 years ago
80%
within 1.5 mg/m3
79
samples
5.90
dust max (mg/m3)
23 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 56 by the operator.
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.
Essex Mine recorded 16.84 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2005.
Injury rate, 2005
ⓘ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.
16.84
total case rate
13.47
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 5.11 and the all-US-mining average was 4.21 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 5.85 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
2005 *
16.84
13.47
0.000
2004 *
3.57
3.57
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)
2006
25
4,675
2005
28
85,089
2004
32
114,139
2003
7
159
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Essex Mine sits in Kanawha County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 1.9% 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.
Kanawha County, West Virginia · Population 178,198
1.9%
Mining share of county employment
$58,887
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
2006 Q1
4,562
0
0
0.0
2005 Q4
13,938
14
9
1004.4
2005 Q3
16,238
0
0
0.0
2005 Q2
17,490
10
6
571.8
2005 Q1
11,717
15
3
1280.2
2004 Q4
9,670
11
6
1137.5
2004 Q3
2,410
5
1
2074.7
2004 Q2
23,957
6
4
250.4
Show 2 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2004 Q1
19,987
1
1
50.0
2003 Q4
280
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
8 on file
2006 · 1 incident
January 9, 2006WV · Coalbull gang foreman, labor foreman, leadman, section foreman, shift bossHANDLING OF MATERIALS
EE WAS REPLACING GUARD ON #4 BELT HEAD. CUT HIS LEFT HAND ON SHARP EDGE OF EXPANDED METAL.
August 22, 2005WV · Coallaborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scalerSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Maptona, Inc. · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)
EE WAS PULLING CABLE AND STEPPED INTO A HOLE WHILE PULLING CABLE. HE TOLD THE BOSS HE THOUGHT HE DID SOMETHING TO HIS BACK. HE CONTINUED TO WORK THAT SHIFT AND THE NEXT TWO SHIFTS. HE CAME OUT ON 8/25/05 AFTER THREE HOURS HE TOLD THE BOSS HIS BACK WAS HURTING AND HE WAS GOING TO THE DOCTOR.
April 15, 2005WV · Coalbeltman, conveyor man, conveyor belt worker, mobile bridge carrierman, feeder operator, conveyor riderFALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Employee stated he was driving mantrip coming up from #3 belt head, when a piece of coal with slate fell and hit him on left shoulder and hand. Coal measured 0 to 18" wide and 0 to 2 1/2" thick and 0 to 54" long. Mostly coal.
April 15, 2005WV · Coallaborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scalerFALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Employee stated he was riding on the mantrip when a piece of coal with slate fell and hit the driver. The driver leaned over and fell across his right knee.
Divita Coal Co · Caught in, under or between running or meshing objects
Two employees were putting shuttle car cable and reel back in time. They had all the cable off of reel. One employee was turning machine on and off to roll cable back on reel. A loop of cable caught the other employee around the leg and knocked him down.
2004 · 2 incidents
April 20, 2004WV · Coalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
EE WAS ON HIS KNEE WATCHING MINER MOVE AS THE MACHINE PASSED BY HIM, HE GRABBED THE PAN OF MINER TO PULL HIS SELF TO HIS FEET. THE HEAD TILTED AND MASHED HIS INDEX FINGER.