Mining Incidents

Fern Valley: 2 recorded fatalities Coal

H R Wood Coal Company Inc · Underground
Controlled by Wood Haynes R
P O Box 625, Butler County, KY  ·  Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 1512153

MSHA record for Fern Valley (mine ID 1512153). Fatalities, non-fatal incidents grouped by year, current operator and controller, and mine context.

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Fatalities
2
Total incidents
5
Years on record
1983–1985
Latest incident
May 1985
Ownership history
  1. H R Wood Coal Company Inc 1979 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.

Fern Valley sits in Butler County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 0.4% 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.
Butler County, Kentucky · Population 12,373
0.4%
Mining share of county employment
$52,003
Median household income
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates.

Fatalities at this mine

2 recorded
August 24, 1984 KY · Coal shuttle car operator, mantrip operator, ramcar operator, rail runner, buggy operator Fatality · POWERED HAULAGE
H R Wood Coal Company Inc · Struck against a moving object

LOW COAL AND HUMAN ERROR AND CAUSED FATALITY

Reportable incidents

3 on file (excluding fatalities above)

1985 · 1 incident

May 30, 1985 KY · Coal laborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scaler FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
H R Wood Coal Company Inc · Struck by falling object

SHOVELING ON BELT AND SECTION OF ROCK FELL.3\\ X 18\\ X 4\\ THICK STRIKING MINER ON BACK.

1984 · 2 incidents

January 23, 1984 KY · Coal INUNDATION
H R Wood Coal Company Inc · Accident type, without injuries

FOREMAN DIDNT INSTRUCT OR SEE TO IT THAT DRILL MAN DRILLED AHEAD AS PER LAW & INSTRUCTIONS.NO DAMAGE-TOOK 4 DAYS TO PUMP WATER OUT.FIRED THE FOREMAN.