Mining Incidents

Knott County Mine: 61 MSHA citations Coal

Locust Grove, Inc. · Surface
Controlled by Edward L Clemons Estate
Amburgy, Knott County, KY  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1518971

Knott County Mine has $36K in proposed MSHA penalties and $100 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
2
Years on record
2007
Latest incident
Oct 2007
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2006
61
citations
42
significant & substantial
$35,765
proposed penalties
$35,665
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $100 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2006
10
inspections on record
418
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: 418 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Knott County Mine has $36K in proposed MSHA penalties and $100 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.
$36K
proposed penalties
$36K
current assessed
$36K
paid to date
$100
outstanding
59 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2008-07-22.
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.
71.2%
significant & substantial
3.4%
high negligence or reckless
71.2%
reasonably likely or greater
11.9%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 6.8% low, 89.8% moderate, 3.4% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Knott County Mine shows 97% of 37 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: 2008-06-26, 18 years ago
97%
within 1.5 mg/m3
37
samples
2.98
dust max (mg/m3)
25 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 12 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR21
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER5
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE5

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2008-03-20, 18 years ago
8.9
silica avg (%)
6
samples
22.6
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR4
  • BULLDOZER 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: 2008-06-09, 18 years ago
0%
over PEL
18
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR7
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE4
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER3
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
2008 100% 17
2007 93% 15
2006 100% 5
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2008 12.3 2
2007 4.3 2
2006 10.2 2
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2008 0% 8
2007 0% 5
2006 0% 5
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Knott County Mine recorded 3.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2007.

Injury rate, 2007
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.
3.00
total case rate
3.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 4.71 and the all-US-mining average was 3.77 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 5.12 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
2007 * 3.00 3.00 0.000
2006 * 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. Locust Grove, Inc. 2006 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)
2008 18 123,029
2007 22 191,974
2006 17 157,732
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Knott County Mine sits in Knott County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 2.8% 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.
Knott County, Kentucky · Population 14,046
2.8%
Mining share of county employment
$37,736
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
2008 Q3 10,106 7 5 692.7
2008 Q2 14,561 4 4 274.7
2008 Q1 15,257 26 20 1704.1
2007 Q4 15,398 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 16,203 5 3 308.6
2007 Q2 16,542 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 18,618 3 1 161.1
2006 Q4 17,834 0 0 0.0
Show 3 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2006 Q3 18,209 9 5 494.3
2006 Q2 13,048 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 1,937 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

2 on file

2007 · 2 incidents

October 25, 2007 KY · Coal greaser, grease man, oiler, lube man, dragline oiler HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Locust Grove, Inc. · Over-exertion in pulling or pushing objects

Employee was pulling a fuel hose and felt he pulled a muscle in his back.

March 29, 2007 KY · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman STEPPING OR KNEELING ON OBJECT
Locust Grove, Inc. · Struck against stationary object

He stepped out of a bulk truck, stepped on a rock in mud, turned ankle, hurt (broke) right ankle.