Mining Incidents

Gray Fork: 57 MSHA citations Coal

Gray Fork Enterprises Inc · Facility
Controlled by Clifford W Sams
Manchester, Clay County, KY  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1504371

Gray Fork has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $3K outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
3
Years on record
1988–1991
Latest incident
Aug 1991
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2003
57
citations
21
significant & substantial
$5,253
proposed penalties
$2,126
paid to date
40% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $3,127 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
68
inspections on record
951
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: 951 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Gray Fork has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $3K 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
$2K
paid to date
$3K
outstanding
56 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2019-12-18.
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.
37.5%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
37.5%
reasonably likely or greater
0.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 8.9% low, 91.1% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Gray Fork shows 100% of 32 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: 2014-07-14, 12 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
32
samples
0.63
dust max (mg/m3)
32 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER5
  • MINE FOREMAN/MINE MANAGER5
  • TIPPLE OPERATOR5

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: 2014-07-14, 12 years ago
0%
over PEL
16
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • MINE FOREMAN/MINE MANAGER4
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER2
  • LABORER/BLACKSMITH2
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
2014 100% 1
2013 100% 3
2012 100% 1
2011 100% 3
2010 100% 4
2009 100% 2
2008 100% 3
2007 100% 4
2006 100% 3
2005 100% 2
2004 100% 2
2003 100% 3
2001 100% 1
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2014 0% 1
2013 0% 3
2012 0% 1
2010 0% 3
2009 0% 4
2008 0% 1
2003 0% 2
2001 0% 1
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. Lewis Coal Company Inc 1950 to 1994
  2. Lewis Coal Sales 1994 to 1996
  3. Smith Coal Processing 1996 to 2001
  4. Creekville Coal Processing LLC 2001 to 2004
  5. Caribou Coal Processing LLC 2004 to 2007
  6. Gray Fork Enterprises Inc 2007 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2011 1
2010 2
2009 1
2008 1
2007 3
2006 4
2004 0
2003 1
2002 0
2001 0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Gray Fork sits in Clay County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 0.9% 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.
Clay County, Kentucky · Population 20,105
0.9%
Mining share of county employment
$39,607
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
2011 Q2 360 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 400 3 3 7500.0
2010 Q3 700 2 0 2857.1
2010 Q2 420 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 360 2 0 5555.6
2009 Q4 240 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 360 2 2 5555.6
2009 Q2 290 0 0 0.0
Show 19 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2009 Q1 400 5 0 12500.0
2008 Q4 460 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 480 3 0 6250.0
2008 Q2 360 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 320 4 2 12500.0
2007 Q1 1,920 7 3 3645.8
2006 Q4 1,440 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 2,400 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 2,400 3 1 1250.0
2004 Q2 0 0 0
2004 Q1 0 0 0
2003 Q4 80 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 0 2 2
2002 Q4 0 0 0
2002 Q3 0 0 0
2002 Q2 0 0 0
2002 Q1 0 0 0
2001 Q4 0 0 0
2001 Q3 0 0 0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

3 on file

1991 · 2 incidents

August 1, 1991 KY · Coal warehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operator HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Lewis Coal Company Inc · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

HE WAS SHOVELING COAL INTO LOADER BUCKET HURT HIS BACK (BUT DID NOT REPORT HIS INJURY TO LEWIS COAL CO. UNTIL 9/6/91) HE KEPT ON WORKING. FIRST DR. APPT. 9.5.91.

April 26, 1991 KY · Coal warehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operator HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Lewis Coal Company Inc · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

ON MONDAY APRIL 22ND, HE WAS BREAKING CONCRETE WITH A PICK AND IRRITATED HIS BACK. KEPT ON GOING UNTIL FRIDAY APRIL 26TH. HE WAS SHOVELING SOD AND HURT HIS BACK AGAIN.

1988 · 1 incident