KIAH CREEK PREPARATION PLANT has $209K in proposed MSHA penalties and $11K outstanding across 33 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
Watch this mine
Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at KIAH CREEK PREPARATION PLANT.
Fatalities
0
Total incidents
42
Years on record
1990–2013
Latest incident
Feb 2013
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
638
citations
328
significant & substantial
$209,058
proposed penalties
$171,350
paid to date
82% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $37,708 gap.
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.
638 citations across 4,178 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Imminent-danger orders
ⓘA Section 107(a) order removes miners from an area when an inspector finds an imminent danger. Each order is lifted once the condition is corrected, so this counts orders issued, not orders now in effect.
1
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2010-08-25.
On record since 2010.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
KIAH CREEK PREPARATION PLANT has $209K in proposed MSHA penalties and $11K outstanding across 33 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.
$209K
proposed penalties
$182K
current assessed
$171K
paid to date
$11K
outstanding
628 assessments are final orders; 33 contested dockets.
Of $108K in penalties contested before the Commission, $81K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2022-09-15.
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.
147citations taken to the federal commission · 23% of citations on record
Settled
140 · 95%
Stood as issued
6 · 4%
Vacated or withdrawn
1 · 1%
95%
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 95 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
25%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$108K proposed, $81K 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 2016-12-28.
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 KIAH CREEK PREPARATION PLANT shows 98% of 126 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: 2013-08-05, 13 years ago
98%
within 1.5 mg/m3
126
samples
3.11
dust max (mg/m3)
117 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 9 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.
KIAH CREEK PREPARATION PLANT recorded 2.37 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2013.
Injury rate, 2013
ⓘ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.
2.37
total case rate
2.37
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.94 and the all-US-mining average was 2.99 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 4.56 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
2013 *
2.37
2.37
0.000
2012 *
6.78
6.78
0.000
2011 *
2.32
2.32
0.000
2010 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2009 *
2.02
2.02
0.000
2008 *
2.41
2.41
0.000
2007 *
2.85
2.85
0.000
2006 *
3.17
3.17
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
2026
1
2025
1
2024
1
2023
1
2022
1
2021
1
2020
0
2019
0
2018
0
2017
0
2016
0
2015
0
2014
1
2013
41
2012
38
2011
36
2010
37
2009
39
2008
34
2007
28
2006
24
2005
20
2004
19
2003
20
2002
15
2001
15
2000
15
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
KIAH CREEK PREPARATION PLANT sits in Wayne County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 0.7% 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.
Wayne County, West Virginia · Population 38,498
0.7%
Mining share of county employment
$55,539
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
Employee was walking down a slight degree slope after it had been raining while carrying a tool bag that weighed about 10 lbs. He slipped on mud and twisted while trying to catch himself to keep from falling.
2009 · 1 incident
January 27, 2009WV · Coalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Employee stated that while helping lift a pipe from the belt magnet he felt pain in his lower back. (Employee continued working, started missing on 3-13-05.)
2004 · 2 incidents
July 7, 2004WV · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS
TRUCK PULLED UP TO LOADER, I HOLLOW ON THE CB RADIO AND ASK THE BOYS IF THEY WERE EXPECTING SOMPANY. I STEP OUT OF THE LOADER, AND THEY GET OUT OF THE TRUCK AND STARTED THROWING ROCKS, THEN I STARTED TO GET BACK IN THE LOADER THATS WHEN I FELL AND CAUGHT6 MYSELF OVER THE LOADER BY ONE ARM.
EE WAS WALKING WHEN HE SLIPPED ON AN ICY METAL SURFACE OUTSIDE THE FRONT DOOR OF THE PREP. PLANT. HE FELL TO THE GROUND AND IN THE PROCESS SPRAINED HIS RT. WRIST. EE CONTINUED TO WORK AND COMPLETED HIS NORMAL SHIFT. HOWEVER HE WAS UNABLE TO WORK ON JAN. 4TH, 2002 (FIRST SHIFT MISSED AS A RESULT OF ACCIDENT).
2001 · 3 incidents
December 14, 2001WV · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanHANDLING OF MATERIALS
USING ROD TO DISLODGE ROCK IN CHUTE, LEANED OVER CHUTE AND BEGAN EXPERIENCING LOWER BACK PAIN. FIRST WORK DAY LOST IS 3-22-00. INJURY IS OTHERWISE NOT REPORTABLE.
1999 · 1 incident
February 22, 1999WV · Coalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorHANDLING OF MATERIALS
EMPLOYEE WAS LIFTING 2FT. BY 1 FT. 4 INCH ROCK OUT OF RAW COAL HEAD CHUTE. STRAIN TO LOW BACK. EMPLOYEE CONTINUED TO WORK UNTIL 8/3/97 7:00 AM SOUGHT MEDICAL ATTENTION. EMPLOYEES SCHEDULE IS 1 2 HR. SHIFTS 4 DAYS ON & 4 DAYS OFF.
EE WAS PULLING CALIBRATION CHAIN [FOR BELT SCALE] DOWN FLIGHT OF STAIRS FOOT SLIPPED PULLING CHEST ;MUSCLES. EE WORKED REST OF SHIP. SOUGHT MEDICAL ATTENTION 3/28/96 3 DAYS AFTER ACCIDENT [MUS CLE RELAXER]
1995 · 2 incidents
May 6, 1995WV · Coalbeltman, conveyor man, conveyor belt worker, mobile bridge carrierman, feeder operator, conveyor riderNONPOWERED HAULAGE
EMLOYEE WAS MOVING OXYGEN & ACTY. DOLY MUSCLE ON RIGHT SIDE OF NECK,SHOULDE RBEGAN TO BURNEMPLOYEE CONTINUED TO WORK SAUGHT MEDICAL ATTENTION 5-8-95 MUSCLE STRAIN.
54730ASSISTING IN SETTING MOTOR WITH COME-ALONGS. MOTOR BECAME BOUND AND IN TRYING TO RELEASE COME-ALONG HANDLE HIT EMPL NOSE FRACTURE-AND MASHED LEFT THUMB CONTUSION.