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Fireclay Mine # 2: 66 MSHA citations Coal

McCoy Elkhorn Coal Corp. · Underground
Controlled by James River Coal Company
Meta, Pike County, KY  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1518136

Fireclay Mine # 2 has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
2
Years on record
2002–2003
Latest incident
Jul 2003
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2002
66
citations
20
significant & substantial
$4,929
proposed penalties
$4,929
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See McCoy Elkhorn Coal Corp.'s full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
44
inspections on record
710
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: 710 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Fireclay Mine # 2 has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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.
$5K
proposed penalties
$5K
current assessed
$5K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
64 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2004-06-28.
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.
31.2%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
31.2%
reasonably likely or greater
4.7%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 35.9% low, 64.1% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Fireclay Mine # 2 shows 97% of 125 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: 2004-06-05, 22 years ago
97%
within 1.5 mg/m3
125
samples
2.15
dust max (mg/m3)
68 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 57 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR59
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)18
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR8

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2004-02-24, 22 years ago
11.9
silica avg (%)
15
samples
50.0
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR9
See US coal mines ranked by silica in their dust samples.

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: 2003-03-05, 23 years ago
10%
over PEL
10
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)5
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR2
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR2
See US mines ranked by noise samples over the legal limit.
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
2004 96% 45
2003 97% 68
2002 100% 12
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2004 5.3 2
2003 13.0 13
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2003 0% 5
2002 20% 5
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Fireclay Mine # 2 recorded 5.12 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2003.

Injury rate, 2003
ⓘ 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.
5.12
total case rate
5.12
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 5.87 and the all-US-mining average was 4.43 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 6.65 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.
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.
Ownership history
  1. J J Coal Company Inc 1999 to 1999
  2. Wright Coal Company Inc 1999 to 1999
  3. Fools Gold Energy Corp 1999 to 2002
  4. Bluegrass Mining Co., Inc. 2002 to 2004
  5. McCoy Elkhorn Coal Corp. 2004 to present
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)
2004 11 49,871
2003 20 140,273
2002 10 34,427
2000 0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Fireclay Mine # 2 sits in Pike County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 5.1% 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.
Pike County, Kentucky · Population 57,466
5.1%
Mining share of county employment
$42,179
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
2004 Q3 0 0 0
2004 Q2 10,184 9 4 883.7
2004 Q1 8,835 6 3 679.1
2003 Q4 9,887 11 4 1112.6
2003 Q3 9,245 5 1 540.8
2003 Q2 11,628 6 2 516.0
2003 Q1 8,265 23 4 2782.8
2002 Q4 9,795 6 2 612.6
Show 2 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2002 Q3 0 0 0
2000 Q1 0 0 0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

2 on file

2003 · 1 incident

July 9, 2003 KY · Coal continuous miner operator, coal mole operator
Bluegrass Mining Co., Inc. · -

EE WAS GETTING ON MANTRIP AND SLIPPED AND BUMPED HIS KNEE ON THE MANTRIP.

2002 · 1 incident

December 27, 2002 KY · Coal transit man, surveyor/transit worker HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Bluegrass Mining Co., Inc. · Over-exertion in lifting objects

WHILE LIFTING SURVEY EQUIPMENT, EMPLOYEE FELT PAIN IN BACK. EMPLOYEE HAS BEEN WORKING LIGHT DUTY OUT OF ENGINEERING OFFICE SINCE DATE OF ACCIDENT. HE WILL BE OFF AS OF 2/3/03.