Mining Incidents

Hawkeye Mine: 36 MSHA citations Coal

Sparta, Randolph County, IL  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 1103226

Hawkeye Mine has $11K 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
2012–2018
Latest incident
Dec 2018
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2012
36
citations
5
significant & substantial
$10,658
proposed penalties
$10,658
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2011
44
inspections on record
1,382
inspection hours
2.6
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.
36 citations across 1,382 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Hawkeye Mine has $11K 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.
$11K
proposed penalties
$11K
current assessed
$11K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
36 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-03-31.
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.
13.9%
significant & substantial
5.6%
high negligence or reckless
13.9%
reasonably likely or greater
16.7%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 5.6% low, 88.9% moderate, 5.6% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Hawkeye Mine shows 100% of 287 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: 2026-05-28
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
287
samples
0.85
dust max (mg/m3)
0
over MSHA ECV
The excessive concentration value (ECV) is MSHA's own per-sample enforcement threshold, which builds in measurement uncertainty; a sample over its ECV can trigger a citation. The count covers only samples MSHA assigned an ECV.
177 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 110 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR131
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR62
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER29

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2026-03-31
10.8
silica avg (%)
43
samples
29.8
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR18
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR14
  • BLASTER/SHOOTER/SHOTFIRER11

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: 2026-03-25
1%
over PEL
69
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR22
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER15
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR11
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
2026 100% 12
2025 100% 13
2023 100% 9
2022 100% 27
2021 100% 1
2020 100% 32
2019 100% 24
2018 100% 23
2017 100% 35
2016 100% 33
2015 100% 35
2014 100% 9
2013 100% 12
2012 100% 17
2011 100% 5
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2026 12.3 3
2025 10.0 3
2023 4.8 2
2022 7.8 3
2020 7.2 6
2019 13.4 6
2018 18.7 3
2017 8.5 9
2016 10.8 3
2015 15.9 5
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2026 20% 5
2025 0% 5
2023 0% 3
2022 0% 5
2020 0% 5
2019 0% 5
2017 0% 5
2016 0% 5
2015 0% 5
2014 0% 4
2013 0% 5
2012 0% 12
2011 0% 5
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Hawkeye Mine recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2022.

Injury rate, 2022
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
No reportable injury cases in any year shown. Employee-hours were reported in each of those years, so these are true zeros rather than missing data. Citations, listed in the compliance record above, are inspector-found violations and are counted separately from worker injuries.
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.26 and the all-US-mining average was 2.12 cases per 100 workers.
In Illinois, coal mining averaged 6.67 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
2022 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2020 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2019 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2018 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2017 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2016 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2015 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2014 * 0.00 0.00 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.
Ownership history
  1. Knight Hawk Coal, LLC 2010 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)
2026 11 30,497
2025 8 42,788
2024 1
2023 2 17,580
2022 8 85,615
2021 4 7,212
2020 10 75,844
2019 15 130,077
2018 13 172,233
2017 15 211,785
2016 16 266,277
2015 20 323,004
2014 19 262,572
2013 21 340,077
2012 29 437,856
2011 8 140,113
2010 0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Hawkeye Mine sits in Randolph County, Illinois, where the Census mining category is 1.8% 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.
Randolph County, Illinois · Population 30,142
1.8%
Mining share of county employment
$68,870
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
2026 Q2 5,755 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 5,469 4 2 731.4
2025 Q4 4,869 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 5,027 1 0 198.9
2025 Q2 4,071 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 832 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 640 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 629 0 0 0.0
Show 55 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 0 0 0
2024 Q1 0 0 0
2023 Q4 487 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 0 0 0
2023 Q2 1,195 5 0 4184.1
2023 Q1 1,273 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 5,249 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 5,515 1 0 181.3
2022 Q2 5,688 1 0 175.8
2022 Q1 4,069 1 0 245.8
2021 Q4 628 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 1,107 0 0 0.0
2021 Q2 1,661 0 0 0.0
2021 Q1 4,113 0 0 0.0
2020 Q4 4,825 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 4,676 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 4,802 2 1 416.5
2020 Q1 6,402 1 0 156.2
2019 Q4 9,264 1 0 107.9
2019 Q3 8,593 1 0 116.4
2019 Q2 7,311 0 0 0.0
2019 Q1 6,512 0 0 0.0
2018 Q4 5,469 1 0 182.8
2018 Q3 6,339 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 8,084 2 0 247.4
2018 Q1 8,459 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 7,382 1 0 135.5
2017 Q3 8,377 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 8,777 1 0 113.9
2017 Q1 8,824 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 9,014 2 0 221.9
2016 Q3 8,775 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 9,245 1 0 108.2
2016 Q1 10,007 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 9,454 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 12,509 1 1 79.9
2015 Q2 11,133 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 10,788 1 0 92.7
2014 Q4 9,887 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 11,614 1 0 86.1
2014 Q2 12,270 1 1 81.5
2014 Q1 12,420 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 10,931 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 10,470 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 13,176 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 13,729 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 12,884 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 10,519 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 13,628 1 0 73.4
2012 Q1 14,048 1 0 71.2
2011 Q4 10,124 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 3,968 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 1,529 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 0 0 0
2010 Q4 0 0 0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

2 on file

2018 · 1 incident

December 6, 2018 IL · Coal FIRE
Knight Hawk Coal, LLC · Accident type, without injuries

After pulling a truck out of the mud, they got in the pick up truck to drive it down the road and were told that the truck was on fire. They were unable to put the fire out. Cause of the fire is believed to be a fuel leak.

2012 · 1 incident

July 20, 2012 IL · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech MACHINERY
Knight Hawk Coal, LLC · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee stated he was greasing the bottom end of the lift cylinder of a dozer when grease sprayed onto his face and underneath his safety glasses into his eyes. Prescription eye drops were prescribed by the emergency room doctor.