Mining Incidents

LHA No. 19: 46 MSHA citations Coal

Long Hole Augering Inc · Surface
Controlled by David Leischman
Barbourville, Knox County, KY  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1518454

LHA No. 19 has $6K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
0
Years on record
Latest incident
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2004
46
citations
10
significant & substantial
$5,790
proposed penalties
$5,790
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2001
55
inspections on record
769
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: 769 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

LHA No. 19 has $6K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 1 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.
$6K
proposed penalties
$6K
current assessed
$6K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
46 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $121 in penalties contested before the Commission, $121 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2019-04-10.
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.
21.7%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
21.7%
reasonably likely or greater
15.2%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 10.9% low, 89.1% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% 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.
1 citations taken to the federal commission · 2% of citations on record
  • Settled 1 · 100%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$121 proposed, $121 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 2019-06-11.
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
KENT 2019-0266 Settlement Manning 2019 $121 → $121
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at LHA No. 19 shows 100% of 65 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: 2019-04-10, 7 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
65
samples
0.74
dust max (mg/m3)
0
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.
65 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • AUGER HELPER27
  • AUGER OPERATOR23
  • GROUNDMAN12

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: 2019-04-10, 7 years ago
8%
over PEL
61
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • AUGER HELPER27
  • AUGER OPERATOR23
  • GROUNDMAN9
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
2019 100% 3
2018 100% 6
2017 100% 9
2015 100% 5
2013 100% 5
2012 100% 6
2011 100% 2
2010 100% 6
2009 100% 2
2008 100% 6
2007 100% 2
2005 100% 5
2004 100% 5
2001 100% 3
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2019 0% 3
2018 0% 6
2017 0% 9
2015 67% 3
2013 0% 6
2012 0% 6
2011 0% 3
2010 33% 3
2009 0% 2
2008 0% 6
2007 0% 2
2005 0% 7
2004 0% 2
2001 67% 3
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. B & H Coal Co Inc 2001 to 2019
  2. Long Hole Augering Inc 2019 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)
2019 2 10,588
2018 3 23,192
2017 3 31,088
2016 0
2015 3 21,627
2014 2 11,879
2013 1 5,871
2012 2 13,190
2011 3 45,766
2010 3 16,320
2009 3 55,085
2008 3 63,274
2007 3 21,635
2006 3 19,143
2005 6 49,621
2004 3 30,663
2002 3 4,051
2001 3 18,460
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

LHA No. 19 sits in Knox 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.
Knox County, Kentucky · Population 30,034
2.8%
Mining share of county employment
$33,153
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
2019 Q4 0 0 0
2019 Q2 517 1 0 1934.2
2019 Q1 274 0 0 0.0
2018 Q4 834 2 1 2398.1
2018 Q3 1,029 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 1,433 1 0 697.8
2018 Q1 881 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 791 1 0 1264.2
Show 54 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2017 Q3 545 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 1,681 3 0 1784.7
2017 Q1 1,308 2 0 1529.1
2016 Q4 0 0 0
2016 Q3 0 0 0
2016 Q2 0 0 0
2016 Q1 0 0 0
2015 Q4 734 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 1,533 3 0 1956.9
2015 Q2 1,850 5 2 2702.7
2015 Q1 334 1 0 2994.0
2014 Q4 90 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 0 0 0
2014 Q2 274 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 1,142 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 302 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 0 0 0
2013 Q2 0 0 0
2013 Q1 1,381 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 853 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 0 0 0
2012 Q2 889 1 1 1124.9
2012 Q1 1,364 4 0 2932.6
2011 Q4 1,860 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 1,821 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 2,203 3 0 1361.8
2011 Q1 2,378 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 582 1 1 1718.2
2010 Q3 1,544 4 3 2590.7
2010 Q2 1,566 0 0 0.0
2009 Q4 130 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 2,143 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 0 3 1
2009 Q1 120 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 1,932 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 1,811 1 0 552.2
2008 Q2 1,292 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 1,234 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 1,193 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 1,281 1 0 780.6
2007 Q2 1,042 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 1,006 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 360 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 1,614 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 4,144 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 2,302 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 237 1 0 4219.4
2005 Q1 876 1 1 1141.6
2004 Q4 677 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 2,763 3 0 1085.8
2004 Q2 240 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 1,565 2 0 1278.0
2002 Q1 75 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 1,553 0 0 0.0

No reportable incidents on file.

MSHA has no recorded reportable accidents for this mine in the current dataset. New reports appear here within a week of being filed.