Mining Incidents

JC-1: 47 MSHA citations Coal

Ember Energy, LLC · Surface
Williamsport, Johnson County, KY  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1519678

JC-1 has $8K in proposed MSHA penalties and $338 outstanding across 3 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
2016
Latest incident
May 2016
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2012
47
citations
21
significant & substantial
$7,679
proposed penalties
$7,244
paid to date
94% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $435 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2012
46
inspections on record
1,663
inspection hours
2.8
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.
47 citations across 1,663 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

JC-1 has $8K in proposed MSHA penalties and $338 outstanding across 3 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.
$8K
proposed penalties
$8K
current assessed
$7K
paid to date
$338
outstanding
45 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $1K in penalties contested before the Commission, $1K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2019-08-12.
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.
46.7%
significant & substantial
2.2%
high negligence or reckless
46.7%
reasonably likely or greater
28.9%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 8.9% low, 88.9% moderate, 2.2% high, 0.0% reckless.
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.
7 citations taken to the federal commission · 15% of citations on record
  • Settled 3 · 43%
  • Stood as issued 4 · 57%
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 4 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
6%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$1K 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 2019-10-29.
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.
Docket Decision Judge Year Proposed / upheld
KENT 2017-9371 Default Lesnick 2018 $750 → $750
KENT 2017-0261 Settlement Simonton 2017 $387 → $290
KENT 2020-0019 Settlement Miller 2020 $359 → $359
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at JC-1 shows 100% of 112 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: 2019-02-28, 7 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
112
samples
0.86
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.
71 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 41 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR43
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR32
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER12

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2017-11-27, 8 years ago
12.3
silica avg (%)
11
samples
27.5
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR7
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR4

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: 2018-04-04, 8 years ago
2%
over PEL
45
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR12
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER9
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE9
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
2019 100% 1
2018 100% 9
2017 100% 42
2016 100% 17
2015 100% 14
2014 100% 13
2013 100% 16
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2017 10.3 8
2016 17.4 3
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2018 0% 3
2017 7% 14
2016 0% 6
2015 0% 9
2014 0% 5
2013 0% 8
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

JC-1 recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2017.

Injury rate, 2017
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 3.79 and the all-US-mining average was 2.48 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.33 cases per 100 workers that year.
Year total case rate days-away fatal
2017 0.00 0.00 0.000
2014 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2013 * 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. Blackstone Coal Company, LLC 2012 to 2016
  2. Ridgeline Coal LLC 2016 to 2016
  3. Ember Energy, LLC 2016 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)
2018 7 5,827
2017 39 383,812
2016 13 45,742
2015 9 40,193
2014 16 106,288
2013 19 152,103
2012 10 5,662
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

JC-1 sits in Johnson County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 1.9% 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.
Johnson County, Kentucky · Population 22,464
1.9%
Mining share of county employment
$43,014
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
2018 Q4 1,956 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 2,786 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 3,179 1 0 314.6
2018 Q1 6,801 1 0 147.0
2017 Q4 25,352 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 29,171 1 0 34.3
2017 Q2 24,365 4 2 164.2
2017 Q1 24,673 1 1 40.5
Show 16 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2016 Q4 7,526 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 8,915 2 1 224.3
2016 Q1 1,482 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 6,933 4 3 577.0
2015 Q3 1,557 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 1,040 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 1,040 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 4,638 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 10,850 2 0 184.3
2014 Q2 11,320 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 12,338 4 1 324.2
2013 Q4 12,401 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 12,770 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 11,601 6 2 517.2
2013 Q1 11,087 4 2 360.8
2012 Q4 4,637 3 1 647.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2016 · 1 incident

May 10, 2016 KY · Coal front-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operator POWERED HAULAGE
Ridgeline Coal LLC · Struck against a moving object

The operator stated that when operator began getting a bucket of rock with the loader's bucket to load into the rock truck, bucket on the loader slipped off of the rock. When it did, it jolted operator and caused a strain to upper back.