Exeter Gob Pile: 17 MSHA citations Coal
Virginia Fuel Corporation
· Surface
Controlled by
Jillean L Justice; James C Justice lll
MSHA Mine ID: 4407283
Exeter Gob Pile has $7K in proposed MSHA penalties and $4K outstanding across 2 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 2011
17
citations
12
significant & substantial
$6,664
proposed penalties
$1,913
paid to date
29% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $4,751 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2011
11
inspections on record
127
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: 127 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: 2011-04-22.
On record since 2011.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
Exeter Gob Pile has $7K in proposed MSHA penalties and $4K 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.$7K
proposed penalties
$6K
current assessed
$2K
paid to date
$4K
outstanding
16 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $5K in penalties contested before the Commission, $4K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2012-03-06.
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.75.0%
significant & substantial
6.2%
high negligence or reckless
75.0%
reasonably likely or greater
68.8%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 12.5% low, 81.2% moderate, 6.2% 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.
6
citations taken to the federal commission · 35% of citations on record
- Settled 6 · 100%
100%
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 5 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
21%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$5K proposed, $4K 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 2011-11-28.
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 2012-97 | Settlement | Rae | 2013 | $3K → $2K |
| VA 2011-583 | Settlement | Rae | 2013 | $2K → $2K |
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
MSHA sampling at Exeter Gob Pile shows 100% of 3 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: 2012-03-06, 14 years ago
ⓘ
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
3
samples
0.21
dust max (mg/m3)
3 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
- BACKHOE OPERATOR2
- BULLDOZER 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: 2012-03-06, 14 years ago
ⓘ
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
5
samples
Most-sampled occupations
- BACKHOE OPERATOR3
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR2
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 100% | 2 |
| 2011 | 100% | 1 |
Noise by year
| Year | over PEL | samples |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 0% | 2 |
| 2011 | 0% | 3 |
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
- Virginia Fuel Corporation 2011 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Exeter Gob Pile 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.
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.