Mining Incidents

Job 51: 103 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by James Eric Davidson
Virgie, Pike County, KY  ·  NonProducing
MSHA Mine ID: 1519622

Job 51 has $25K in proposed MSHA penalties and $6K outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
3
Years on record
2012–2015
Latest incident
Jul 2015
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2012
103
citations
30
significant & substantial
$24,543
proposed penalties
$18,058
paid to date
74% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $6,485 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2011
40
inspections on record
1,270
inspection hours
8.1
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.
103 citations across 1,270 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Job 51 has $25K in proposed MSHA penalties and $6K outstanding across 1 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.
$25K
proposed penalties
$24K
current assessed
$18K
paid to date
$6K
outstanding
101 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $972 in penalties contested before the Commission, $771 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-10-07.
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.
29.7%
significant & substantial
2.0%
high negligence or reckless
29.7%
reasonably likely or greater
18.8%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 13.9% low, 84.2% moderate, 2.0% 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.
6 citations taken to the federal commission · 6% of citations on record
  • Settled 6 · 100%
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 3 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
21%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$972 proposed, $771 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 2012-03-26.
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 2012-797 Settlement Rae 2013 $972 → $771
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Job 51 shows 100% of 100 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: 2019-09-11, 6 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
100
samples
0.93
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.
69 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 31 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR43
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR21
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER13

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2019-01-02, 7 years ago
22.2
silica avg (%)
14
samples
33.8
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR12
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR2

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: 2019-05-30, 7 years ago
3%
over PEL
36
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR13
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE10
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER7
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% 14
2018 100% 7
2015 100% 23
2014 100% 26
2013 100% 19
2012 100% 11
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2018 23.1 2
2015 15.3 2
2014 22.4 5
2013 24.3 5
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2019 0% 10
2015 0% 5
2014 0% 8
2013 13% 8
2012 0% 5
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Job 51 recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2019.

Injury rate, 2019
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 3.39 and the all-US-mining average was 2.32 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.10 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
2019 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2014 1.87 1.87 0.000
2013 0.00 0.00 0.000
2012 * 2.58 2.58 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. Premier Elkhorn Coal Company, LLC 2011 to 2019
  2. Virgie Clean Mining, LLC 2019 to 2023
  3. Myra Resources LLC. 2023 to 2025
  4. Reckoning Reclamation, LLC. 2025 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)
2019 13 49,771
2018 1
2017 0
2016 0
2015 9 44,394
2014 41 321,132
2013 41 302,034
2012 33 249,566
2011 8 11,574
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Job 51 sits in Pike County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 5.1% 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.
Pike County, Kentucky · Population 57,466
5.1%
Mining share of county employment
$42,179
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
2019 Q4 0 0 0
2019 Q3 14,527 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 11,206 5 4 446.2
2019 Q1 8,136 7 4 860.4
2018 Q4 2,914 3 2 1029.5
2018 Q3 0 0 0
2018 Q2 0 0 0
2018 Q1 0 0 0
Show 25 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2017 Q4 0 0 0
2017 Q3 0 0 0
2017 Q2 0 0 0
2017 Q1 0 0 0
2016 Q4 0 0 0
2016 Q3 0 0 0
2016 Q1 40 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 3,065 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 5,223 3 2 574.4
2015 Q2 5,222 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 5,765 10 3 1734.6
2014 Q4 23,165 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 26,691 10 2 374.7
2014 Q2 28,027 3 1 107.0
2014 Q1 28,958 7 0 241.7
2013 Q4 25,318 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 25,837 8 0 309.6
2013 Q2 25,301 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 26,967 8 2 296.7
2012 Q4 18,951 4 2 211.1
2012 Q3 23,158 9 0 388.6
2012 Q2 20,475 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 14,844 13 5 875.8
2011 Q4 7,078 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 0 0 0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

3 on file

2015 · 1 incident

2014 · 1 incident

July 8, 2014 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Premier Elkhorn Coal Company, LLC · Over-exertion in pulling or pushing objects

Employee was using a pry bar in an attempt to remove the hub from a water truck when he experienced lower back pain. As a result, he began missing work on 9/9/14.

2012 · 1 incident

June 12, 2012 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Premier Elkhorn Coal Company, LLC · Fall down stairs

Employee went to retrieve filters for a dozer from the parts trailer. Upon exiting the parts trailer, the steps gave way with the employee, causing him to fall to the ground, resulting in a fracture to his right foot.