Mining Incidents

JOHNNYCAKE MINE NO. 1: 305 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by James Floyd Phillips
Iaeger, Mcdowell County, WV  ·  NonProducing
MSHA Mine ID: 4609257

JOHNNYCAKE MINE NO. 1 has $123K in proposed MSHA penalties and $99K outstanding across 2 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

Watch this mine

Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at JOHNNYCAKE MINE NO. 1.

Fatalities
0
Total incidents
5
Years on record
2013–2015
Latest incident
Nov 2015
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2012
305
citations
58
significant & substantial
$122,545
proposed penalties
$22,858
paid to date
19% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $99,687 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2011
96
inspections on record
2,727
inspection hours
11.2
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.
305 citations across 2,727 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

JOHNNYCAKE MINE NO. 1 has $123K in proposed MSHA penalties and $99K 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.
$123K
proposed penalties
$122K
current assessed
$23K
paid to date
$99K
outstanding
299 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $3K in penalties contested before the Commission, $2K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2024-09-13.
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.
19.3%
significant & substantial
5.0%
high negligence or reckless
19.3%
reasonably likely or greater
37.5%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.7% none, 38.5% low, 55.8% moderate, 4.7% high, 0.3% 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.
8 citations taken to the federal commission · 3% of citations on record
  • Settled 8 · 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 2 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
13%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$3K proposed, $2K 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 2015-03-18.
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
WEVA 2015-0569 Settlement Lesnick 2015 $2K → $1K
WEVA 2015-0369 Settlement Paez 2015 $1K → $975
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at JOHNNYCAKE MINE NO. 1 shows 94% of 351 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: 2024-09-17
94%
within 1.5 mg/m3
351
samples
4.66
dust max (mg/m3)
6
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.
128 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 223 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR179
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)54
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)34

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2024-10-01
5.1
silica avg (%)
21
samples
7.2
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR13
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)6
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)1

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: 2023-06-26, 3 years ago
0%
over PEL
60
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)13
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR9
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (INTAKE SIDE)8
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
2024 100% 6
2023 100% 6
2018 94% 49
2017 98% 83
2015 92% 51
2014 93% 59
2013 89% 56
2012 95% 41
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2024 4.2 3
2023 6.6 2
2018 4.4 3
2017 5.7 6
2015 4.6 4
2014 5.5 2
2012 3.5 1
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2023 0% 5
2018 0% 2
2017 0% 11
2015 0% 14
2014 0% 17
2013 0% 6
2012 0% 5
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

JOHNNYCAKE MINE NO. 1 recorded 13.45 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.
13.45
total case rate
4.48
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.76 and the all-US-mining average was 2.72 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 5.22 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 * 13.45 4.48 0.000
2014 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2013 * 8.44 4.22 0.000
2012 * 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. MCCM LLC 2008 to 2011
  2. Selwyn Coal Corp. 2011 to 2013
  3. Fool's Gold Energy Corporation 2013 to 2015
  4. Miracle Mining, LLC 2015 to 2017
  5. Glow Worm Coal Company 2017 to 2019
  6. Trump Energy Corporation 2019 to 2020
  7. MJ MINING 2020 to 2022
  8. JT Mining Inc. 2022 to 2023
  9. Stirling Resources, LLC 2023 to 2024
  10. Phillips Management Firm LLC 2024 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)
2025 0
2024 0
2023 12 16,000
2017 0
2016 0
2015 21 42,353
2014 25 62,907
2013 27 57,603
2012 17 40,222
2011 0
2010 0
2009 0
2008 0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

JOHNNYCAKE MINE NO. 1 sits in McDowell County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 13.0% 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.
McDowell County, West Virginia · Population 18,413
13.0%
Mining share of county employment
$29,980
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
2025 Q3 0 0 0
2025 Q2 0 0 0
2025 Q1 0 0 0
2024 Q4 0 0 0
2024 Q2 0 1 0
2023 Q4 4,325 12 4 2774.6
2023 Q1 2,910 6 0 2061.9
2017 Q4 0 7 0
Show 37 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2017 Q1 0 0 0
2016 Q4 0 0 0
2016 Q3 0 0 0
2016 Q2 0 0 0
2016 Q1 0 1 0
2015 Q4 17,001 12 2 705.8
2015 Q3 13,246 18 4 1358.9
2015 Q2 11,451 14 6 1222.6
2015 Q1 2,905 2 1 688.5
2014 Q4 14,104 38 6 2694.3
2014 Q3 13,568 26 5 1916.3
2014 Q2 15,098 4 2 264.9
2014 Q1 17,390 9 2 517.5
2013 Q4 5,132 3 1 584.6
2013 Q3 14,324 17 7 1186.8
2013 Q2 14,719 9 1 611.5
2013 Q1 13,212 8 2 605.5
2012 Q4 10,497 4 1 381.1
2012 Q3 11,018 5 0 453.8
2012 Q2 8,623 11 1 1275.7
2012 Q1 2,142 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 0 0 0
2011 Q3 0 0 0
2011 Q2 0 0 0
2011 Q1 0 0 0
2010 Q4 0 0 0
2010 Q3 0 0 0
2010 Q2 0 0 0
2010 Q1 0 0 0
2009 Q4 0 0 0
2009 Q3 0 0 0
2009 Q2 0 0 0
2009 Q1 0 0 0
2008 Q4 0 0 0
2008 Q3 0 0 0
2008 Q2 0 0 0
2008 Q1 0 0 0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

5 on file

2015 · 3 incidents

July 22, 2015 WV · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Miracle Mining, LLC · Struck by flying object

Was tossing a roof bolt and it kicked back and plate cut his finger.

June 18, 2015 WV · Coal bull gang foreman, labor foreman, leadman, section foreman, shift boss HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Miracle Mining, LLC · Struck against stationary object

Cut top of hand while unloading belt supplies. Turned and hit end of pogo stick which resulted in cut hand.

2013 · 2 incidents

March 25, 2013 WV · Coal laborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scaler HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Selwyn Coal Corp. · Rubbed or abraded

Carrying bolt supplies under the check curtain while crawling under the curtain the left shoulder popped really loud and started hurting bad. Employee unable to move shoulder.