Flat Creek Mine: 39 MSHA citations
Coal
Barbourville,
Knox County,
KY
·
Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1519696
Flat Creek Mine has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 2 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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- Fatalities
- 0
- Total incidents
- 4
- Years on record
- 2015
- Latest incident
- Jun 2015
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2015
6
significant & substantial
$4,990
proposed penalties
99% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $54 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2014
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: 328 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Flat Creek Mine has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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.
39 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $818 in penalties contested before the Commission, $764 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2016-08-17.
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.
15.4%
significant & substantial
5.1%
high negligence or reckless
15.4%
reasonably likely or greater
10.3%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 2.6% low, 92.3% moderate, 5.1% 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.
3
citations taken to the federal commission · 8% of citations on record
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 3 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
7%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$818 proposed, $764 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 2015-11-10.
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 |
| KENT 2015-0601 |
Settlement |
Lesnick |
2016 |
$484 → $430 |
| KENT 2016-0081 |
Settlement |
Rae |
2016 |
$334 → $334 |
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
MSHA sampling at Flat Creek Mine shows 100% of 59 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: 2016-08-09, 10 years ago
34 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 25 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR22
- HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR19
- REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE7
Silica (quartz)
Last sampled: 2016-08-18, 10 years ago
Most-sampled occupations
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR3
- HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR2
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: 2016-04-19, 10 years ago
Most-sampled occupations
- REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE5
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR4
- HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER4
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 |
| 2016 |
100% |
17 |
| 2015 |
100% |
42 |
Silica (quartz) by year
| Year |
silica avg (%) |
samples |
| 2016 |
13.6 |
3 |
| 2015 |
16.4 |
2 |
Noise by year
| Year |
over PEL |
samples |
| 2016 |
0% |
5 |
| 2015 |
0% |
19 |
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Flat Creek Mine recorded 9.50 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2015.
Injury rate, 2015
ⓘ
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.
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.76 and the all-US-mining average was 2.72 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.56 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.
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) |
| 2016 |
27 |
81,376 |
| 2015 |
39 |
60,419 |
| 2014 |
22 |
2,261 |
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Flat Creek Mine sits in Knox County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 2.8% 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.
Knox County, Kentucky · Population 30,034
2.8%
Mining share of county employment
$33,153
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 |
| 2016 Q3 |
6,681 |
4 |
1 |
598.7 |
| 2016 Q2 |
10,312 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
| 2016 Q1 |
19,875 |
11 |
0 |
553.5 |
| 2015 Q4 |
20,473 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
| 2015 Q3 |
19,168 |
7 |
1 |
365.2 |
| 2015 Q2 |
23,872 |
2 |
2 |
83.8 |
| 2015 Q1 |
20,729 |
7 |
1 |
337.7 |
| 2014 Q4 |
10,118 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
4 on file
2015 · 4 incidents
June 18, 2015
KY · Coal
haul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driver
SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Mountainside Coal Co., Inc. · Fall to the walkway or working surface
EE was attempting to pump water from the pond and as he was approaching the water pump, he fell in the spillway bruising his left elbow and left thigh
March 31, 2015
KY · Coal
maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech
SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Mountainside Coal Co., Inc. · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)
The serviceman had finished servicing the D10N Dozer, stepped off of the push arm, and while holding onto the handhold, he stepped onto the ground while turning around and twisted his back resulting in a muscle sprain.
March 12, 2015
KY · Coal
maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech
HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Mountainside Coal Co., Inc. · Over-exertion in lifting objects
Mr. Hatfield had assisted in moving the port-a-potty, and upon entering his service truck, he experienced pain & a burning sensation in his hips and legs.
February 23, 2015
KY · Coal
maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech
SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Mountainside Coal Co., Inc. · Fall to the walkway or working surface
The equipment serviceman slipped and fell on ice while servicing a light plant