Mayking, Ky, Letcher County,
KY
·
Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 1517481
Hardshell Tipples Mine #1 has $55K in proposed MSHA penalties and $29K outstanding across 5 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
12
Years on record
2002–2003
Latest incident
Aug 2003
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2001
510
citations
225
significant & substantial
$54,935
proposed penalties
$26,188
paid to date
48% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $28,747 gap.
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.
510 citations across 2,731 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Hardshell Tipples Mine #1 has $55K in proposed MSHA penalties and $29K outstanding across 5 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.
$55K
proposed penalties
$55K
current assessed
$26K
paid to date
$29K
outstanding
483 assessments are final orders; 5 contested dockets.
Of $5K in penalties contested before the Commission, $5K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2011-08-31.
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.
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.
4citations taken to the federal commission · 1% of citations on record
Settled
3 · 75%
Stood as issued
1 · 25%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 1 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$706 proposed, $706 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 2007-02-05.
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.
MSHA sampling at Hardshell Tipples Mine #1 shows 85% of 231 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: 2006-09-29, 19 years ago
85%
within 1.5 mg/m3
231
samples
17.96
dust max (mg/m3)
127 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 104 by the operator.
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.
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.
Hardshell Tipples Mine #1 recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2006.
Injury rate, 2006
ⓘ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.
0.00
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 4.87 and the all-US-mining average was 3.91 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 5.96 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.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2006 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2004 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2003 *
48.67
22.12
0.000
2002 *
5.26
5.26
0.000
* Fewer than 100,000 employee-hours that year; the rate is less stable.
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.
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)
2008
3
2007
2
2006
17
8,206
2005
11
1,877
2004
15
3,523
2003
28
71,878
2002
25
82,506
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Hardshell Tipples Mine #1 sits in Letcher County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 3.5% 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.
Letcher County, Kentucky · Population 21,146
3.5%
Mining share of county employment
$40,501
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
2008 Q2
183
2
0
10929.0
2008 Q1
571
0
0
0.0
2007 Q2
0
0
0
2007 Q1
2,780
1
0
359.7
2006 Q4
6,642
53
27
7979.5
2006 Q3
7,930
27
10
3404.8
2006 Q2
8,148
24
10
2945.5
2006 Q1
7,672
21
9
2737.2
Show 15 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2005 Q4
2,703
5
0
1849.8
2005 Q3
0
0
0
2005 Q1
11,216
37
14
3298.9
2004 Q4
10,090
40
20
3964.3
2004 Q3
7,161
17
8
2374.0
2004 Q2
8,490
1
0
117.8
2004 Q1
1,203
1
0
831.3
2003 Q4
0
0
0
2003 Q3
19,535
23
14
1177.4
2003 Q2
9,282
11
2
1185.1
2003 Q1
16,381
39
16
2380.8
2002 Q4
12,680
26
3
2050.5
2002 Q3
1,120
35
12
31250.0
2002 Q2
9,171
24
5
2616.9
2002 Q1
15,080
43
24
2851.5
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
12 on file
2003 · 11 incidents
August 25, 2003KY · Coalsection foreman, bullgang foreman, labor foreman, leadman, shift bossSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
WORKING ON RAM CAR BATTERYS, TRYING TO REMOVE BATTERY LID. THE LID SPARKED ON THE BATTERY AND HE TRIED TO JUMP OFF THE BATTERYS AND SLIPPED AND FELL BETWEEN THE COAL RIB AND RAM CAR HURTING HI S LOWER BACK.
June 13, 2003KY · Coallaborer, bull gang, faceman, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scalerPOWERED HAULAGE
HE WAS TAKING PANEL BOARD OFF 482 SCOOP AND BOARD SWUNG DOWN AND CAUGHT THE END OF HIS MIDDLE FINGER ON HIS RIGHT HAND CRUSHING IT. THE TIP END OF MIDDLE FINGER ON HIS RIGHT HAND.