Mining Incidents

Johnson Branch: 3 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by Thomas R Hamilton
Premium, Letcher County, KY  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1517958

Johnson Branch has $387 in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
1997
Latest incident
Aug 1997
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
3
citations
1
significant & substantial
$387
proposed penalties
$387
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
13
inspections on record
58
inspection hours
n/a
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.
Rate withheld: 58 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Johnson Branch has $387 in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 0 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.
$387
proposed penalties
$387
current assessed
$387
paid to date
$0
outstanding
3 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2000-10-03.
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.
33.3%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
33.3%
reasonably likely or greater
0.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 0.0% low, 100.0% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Johnson Branch shows 100% of 5 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: 2000-02-01, 26 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
5
samples
0.53
dust max (mg/m3)
0 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 5 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR2
  • BLASTER/SHOOTER/SHOTFIRER1
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR1
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises Inc 1997 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2000 0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Johnson Branch sits in Letcher County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 3.5% 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.
Letcher County, Kentucky · Population 21,146
3.5%
Mining share of county employment
$40,501
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
2000 Q4 0 3 1
2000 Q3 0 0 0
2000 Q2 0 0 0
2000 Q1 0 0 0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

1997 · 1 incident

August 18, 1997 KY · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman POWERED HAULAGE
Nally & Hamilton Enterprises Inc · Struck against a moving object

EMP WAS IN PRIIVATE VEHICLE FOLLOWING THE POWDER TRUCK UP THE ROAD TO THE DRILL BENCH WHEN A LARGE ROCK ROLLED DOWN THE BANK STRIKING THE PICKUP. THE ROCK LANDED ONT HE BED ON DRIVERS SIDE, TH ROWING THE EMP INO THE TOP OF CAB AND INTO STEERING WHEEL.