Highwall Miner #1 has $82K in proposed MSHA penalties and $41K outstanding across 8 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
3
Years on record
2006–2014
Latest incident
Nov 2014
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2005
221
citations
85
significant & substantial
$82,290
proposed penalties
$41,404
paid to date
50% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $40,886 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.
221 citations across 1,832 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Highwall Miner #1 has $82K in proposed MSHA penalties and $41K outstanding across 8 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.
$82K
proposed penalties
$82K
current assessed
$41K
paid to date
$41K
outstanding
213 assessments are final orders; 8 contested dockets.
Of $51K in penalties contested before the Commission, $51K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-01-07.
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.
36citations taken to the federal commission · 16% of citations on record
Settled
1 · 3%
Stood as issued
35 · 97%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 30 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$51K proposed, $51K 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 2025-02-13.
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 Highwall Miner #1 shows 100% of 105 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: 2026-01-08
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
105
samples
0.83
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.
105 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
AUGER OPERATOR23
FORKLIFT OPERATOR19
HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER18
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.
Highwall Miner #1 recorded 0.00 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.
0.00
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.76 and the all-US-mining average was 2.72 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 6.64 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
2015 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2014 *
5.47
5.47
0.000
2009 *
8.51
8.51
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)
2026
5
46,602
2025
5
81,894
2024
5
26,071
2023
5
39,563
2022
1
9,362
2021
0
2020
0
2019
4
27,210
2018
6
70,115
2017
7
81,144
2016
6
73,354
2015
6
109,702
2014
13
150,699
2013
6
67,591
2012
0
2011
3
6,676
2010
10
22,991
2009
9
41,893
2008
11
43,140
2007
0
2006
2
9,436
2005
15
15,834
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Highwall Miner #1 sits in Wise County, Virginia, where the Census mining category is 5.9% 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.
Wise County, Virginia · Population 35,727
5.9%
Mining share of county employment
$50,740
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
2,842
0
0
0.0
2026 Q1
2,800
2
2
714.3
2025 Q4
2,978
0
0
0.0
2025 Q3
2,864
0
0
0.0
2025 Q2
2,774
1
0
360.5
2025 Q1
2,483
0
0
0.0
2024 Q4
2,514
4
4
1591.1
2024 Q3
1,747
3
1
1717.2
Show 65 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2
1,600
0
0
0.0
2024 Q1
3,276
3
0
915.8
2023 Q4
3,668
0
0
0.0
2023 Q3
3,896
3
0
770.0
2023 Q2
4,050
0
0
0.0
2023 Q1
499
5
1
10020.0
2022 Q4
1,019
0
0
0.0
2022 Q3
1,126
3
3
2664.3
2022 Q1
0
0
0
2021 Q4
0
0
0
2021 Q3
0
0
0
2021 Q1
0
0
0
2020 Q4
0
0
0
2020 Q3
0
0
0
2020 Q2
0
0
0
2020 Q1
0
0
0
2019 Q4
363
0
0
0.0
2019 Q3
2,584
0
0
0.0
2019 Q2
2,758
4
0
1450.3
2019 Q1
2,522
0
0
0.0
2018 Q4
3,506
0
0
0.0
2018 Q3
3,754
0
0
0.0
2018 Q2
3,665
1
0
272.9
2018 Q1
3,715
0
0
0.0
2017 Q4
4,589
12
2
2614.9
2017 Q3
4,526
15
5
3314.2
2017 Q2
5,544
0
0
0.0
2017 Q1
5,001
10
5
1999.6
2016 Q4
5,023
2
0
398.2
2016 Q3
4,011
16
3
3989.0
2016 Q2
3,568
0
0
0.0
2016 Q1
3,837
0
0
0.0
2015 Q4
6,197
5
0
806.8
2015 Q3
5,344
5
0
935.6
2015 Q2
4,871
1
0
205.3
2015 Q1
3,605
4
0
1109.6
2014 Q4
7,633
1
0
131.0
2014 Q3
10,254
3
0
292.6
2014 Q2
10,913
4
1
366.5
2014 Q1
7,732
5
1
646.7
2013 Q4
9,664
0
0
0.0
2013 Q3
5,822
3
0
515.3
2013 Q2
0
0
0
2013 Q1
0
0
0
2012 Q4
0
0
0
2012 Q3
0
0
0
2012 Q2
0
0
0
2011 Q2
0
0
0
2011 Q1
2,000
2
1
1000.0
2010 Q4
1,077
23
13
21355.6
2010 Q3
8,227
14
11
1701.7
2010 Q2
1,493
1
0
669.8
2010 Q1
529
0
0
0.0
2009 Q4
3,846
0
0
0.0
2009 Q3
4,137
9
3
2175.5
2009 Q2
6,691
0
0
0.0
2009 Q1
8,815
2
1
226.9
2008 Q4
8,738
0
0
0.0
2008 Q3
2,805
1
1
356.5
2007 Q4
0
0
0
2007 Q3
0
0
0
2006 Q4
0
0
0
2006 Q3
1,310
2
1
1526.7
2006 Q1
0
0
0
2005 Q4
8,662
18
10
2078.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
3 on file
2014 · 1 incident
November 28, 2014VA · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanELECTRICAL
EE was attempting to reset a 995 volt breaker which had tripped and when he latched the breaker I a flash occurred within the breaker causing buns to right wrist & forearm & right side of face treated at Pikeville Medical Center then was released.