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.
372 citations across 3,094 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Honey Hole LLC has $75K in proposed MSHA penalties and $3K 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.
$75K
proposed penalties
$75K
current assessed
$71K
paid to date
$3K
outstanding
361 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $2K in penalties contested before the Commission, $1K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2021-01-20.
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.
19citations taken to the federal commission · 5% of citations on record
Settled
18 · 95%
Vacated or withdrawn
1 · 5%
86%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 7 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
44%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$2K proposed, $1K 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 A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record.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 2014-08-01.
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 Honey Hole LLC shows 100% of 121 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: 2020-12-03, 5 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
121
samples
1.05
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.
121 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 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.
Honey Hole LLC recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2003.
Injury rate, 2003
ⓘ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 5.87 and the all-US-mining average was 4.43 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 6.65 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
2003 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2002 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2001 *
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.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year
Employees
2021
2
2020
3
2019
2
2018
3
2017
2
2016
4
2015
4
2014
5
2013
5
2012
4
2011
3
2010
3
2009
3
2008
3
2007
3
2006
3
2004
16
2003
15
2002
12
2001
11
2000
8
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Honey Hole LLC sits in Laurel County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 0.5% 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.
Laurel County, Kentucky · Population 62,731
0.5%
Mining share of county employment
$56,999
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
2021 Q2
640
0
0
0.0
2021 Q1
960
1
0
1041.7
2020 Q4
1,050
0
0
0.0
2019 Q4
480
1
0
2083.3
2019 Q3
960
2
0
2083.3
2019 Q2
480
1
0
2083.3
2019 Q1
960
0
0
0.0
2018 Q4
960
1
0
1041.7
Show 68 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2018 Q3
480
0
0
0.0
2018 Q2
1,920
1
0
520.8
2018 Q1
1,100
1
0
909.1
2017 Q4
1,020
0
0
0.0
2017 Q3
972
0
0
0.0
2017 Q2
1,040
0
0
0.0
2017 Q1
960
5
2
5208.3
2016 Q4
1,672
0
0
0.0
2016 Q3
2,188
1
0
457.0
2016 Q2
2,106
8
1
3798.7
2016 Q1
1,842
0
0
0.0
2015 Q4
1,938
5
1
2580.0
2015 Q3
1,876
0
0
0.0
2015 Q2
1,964
13
6
6619.1
2015 Q1
2,160
1
0
463.0
2014 Q4
1,920
2
2
1041.7
2014 Q3
2,035
1
1
491.4
2014 Q2
2,100
5
4
2381.0
2014 Q1
2,110
1
0
473.9
2013 Q4
2,120
29
18
13679.2
2013 Q3
2,110
7
4
3317.5
2013 Q2
2,000
23
15
11500.0
2013 Q1
1,800
0
0
0.0
2012 Q4
1,600
11
8
6875.0
2012 Q3
1,600
10
6
6250.0
2012 Q2
1,200
3
0
2500.0
2012 Q1
1,160
11
5
9482.8
2011 Q4
1,160
0
0
0.0
2011 Q3
1,000
9
6
9000.0
2011 Q2
1,000
4
4
4000.0
2011 Q1
1,000
9
6
9000.0
2010 Q4
1,000
0
0
0.0
2010 Q3
1,000
5
5
5000.0
2010 Q2
1,000
0
0
0.0
2010 Q1
1,165
0
0
0.0
2009 Q4
1,000
5
2
5000.0
2009 Q3
1,116
1
1
896.1
2009 Q2
706
0
0
0.0
2009 Q1
765
8
3
10457.5
2008 Q4
1,424
0
0
0.0
2008 Q3
122
5
0
40983.6
2008 Q2
1,015
0
0
0.0
2008 Q1
1,141
4
3
3505.7
2007 Q4
918
0
0
0.0
2007 Q3
922
2
0
2169.2
2007 Q2
890
0
0
0.0
2007 Q1
3
6
0
2000000.0
2006 Q4
1,754
1
0
570.1
2006 Q3
1,998
0
0
0.0
2006 Q2
1,056
18
6
17045.5
2004 Q2
8,714
10
8
1147.6
2004 Q1
7,506
2
1
266.5
2003 Q4
6,872
3
2
436.6
2003 Q3
8,793
9
5
1023.5
2003 Q2
7,591
0
0
0.0
2003 Q1
6,854
0
0
0.0
2002 Q4
7,115
2
0
281.1
2002 Q3
6,672
0
0
0.0
2002 Q2
5,092
2
2
392.8
2002 Q1
5,880
6
5
1020.4
2001 Q4
6,687
0
0
0.0
2001 Q3
5,197
8
6
1539.3
2001 Q2
5,045
0
0
0.0
2001 Q1
4,558
1
0
219.4
2000 Q4
4,450
0
0
0.0
2000 Q3
3,478
2
2
575.0
2000 Q2
3,147
2
2
635.5
2000 Q1
2,801
2
1
714.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
2 on file
2011 · 1 incident
January 15, 2011KY · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON