Mining Incidents

Lewis Creek Surface: 24 MSHA citations Coal

Big Laurel, Leslie County, KY  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1518828

Lewis Creek Surface has $1K 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
6
Years on record
2005–2006
Latest incident
Sep 2006
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2005
24
citations
0
significant & substantial
$1,440
proposed penalties
$1,440
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2005
7
inspections on record
260
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: 260 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Lewis Creek Surface has $1K 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.
$1K
proposed penalties
$1K
current assessed
$1K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
24 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2007-04-10.
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.
0.0%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
0.0%
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 Lewis Creek Surface shows 100% of 32 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: 2006-10-16, 19 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
32
samples
0.96
dust max (mg/m3)
25 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 7 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR11
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE8
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER7

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2006-10-27, 19 years ago
14.2
silica avg (%)
3
samples
17.7
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR2
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER1

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: 2006-10-16, 19 years ago
0%
over PEL
29
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE10
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER7
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR6
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
2006 100% 14
2005 100% 18
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2006 9.1 1
2005 16.8 2
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2006 0% 10
2005 0% 19
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Lewis Creek Surface recorded 0.00 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.
0.00
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
No reportable injury cases in any year shown. Employee-hours were reported in each of those years, so these are true zeros rather than missing data. Citations, listed in the compliance record above, are inspector-found violations and are counted separately from worker injuries.
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 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2006 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2005 * 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. Associated Contracting, LLC 2004 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)
2007 11 60,482
2006 37 238,178
2005 31 372,394
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Lewis Creek Surface sits in Leslie County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 10.6% 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.
Leslie County, Kentucky · Population 10,261
10.6%
Mining share of county employment
$40,176
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
2007 Q4 0 0 0
2007 Q3 0 0 0
2007 Q2 6,193 3 0 484.4
2007 Q1 17,353 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 16,786 7 0 417.0
2006 Q3 17,534 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 16,792 2 0 119.1
2006 Q1 15,016 0 0 0.0
Show 4 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2005 Q4 14,692 4 0 272.3
2005 Q3 14,515 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 14,537 4 0 275.2
2005 Q1 14,030 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

6 on file

2006 · 3 incidents

September 22, 2006 KY · Coal haul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driver SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Associated Contracting, LLC · Fall from machine

Getting off truck at end of shift foot slipped off of bottom step fell onto ground and hit left arm on ground

June 20, 2006 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Associated Contracting, LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

While placing tools on service truck bed employee stepped on out-rigger and lever that controls out-rigger was stuck causing out-rigger to move mashing foot.

2005 · 3 incidents

July 18, 2005 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Associated Contracting, LLC · Fall onto or against objects

CHECKING GAS PUMP ON FUEL TRUCK SLID AND HIT HEAD

July 5, 2005 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Associated Contracting, LLC · Struck by flying object

Using sledgehammer to put tips on loader bucket, metal flew off into knee.

March 17, 2005 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Associated Contracting, LLC · Fall onto or against objects

Working on 750 Hitachi, repairing line. Backed truck up to equipment to reach line, climbed on tool box on back of truck, fell off tool box into truck bed.