Lick Branch Slurry Impoundment has $46K in proposed MSHA penalties and $20K outstanding across 3 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
9
Years on record
1997–2012
Latest incident
Mar 2012
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2001
194
citations
68
significant & substantial
$45,526
proposed penalties
$21,480
paid to date
47% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $24,046 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.
194 citations across 3,224 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Lick Branch Slurry Impoundment has $46K in proposed MSHA penalties and $20K outstanding across 3 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.
$46K
proposed penalties
$41K
current assessed
$21K
paid to date
$20K
outstanding
182 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $15K in penalties contested before the Commission, $10K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2024-10-02.
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.
7citations taken to the federal commission · 4% of citations on record
Settled
3 · 43%
Stood as issued
4 · 57%
100%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 6 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
29%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$15K proposed, $10K 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 2012-02-10.
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 Lick Branch Slurry Impoundment shows 100% of 90 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: 2019-12-12, 6 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
90
samples
0.97
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.
87 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 3 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.
Lick Branch Slurry Impoundment recorded 13.56 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2011.
Injury rate, 2011
ⓘ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.
13.56
total case rate
13.56
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.83 and the all-US-mining average was 3.08 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.28 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
2011 *
13.56
13.56
0.000
2010 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2009 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2008 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2007 *
0.00
0.00
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.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year
Employees
2026
0
2025
0
2024
0
2023
0
2022
0
2021
0
2020
0
2019
0
2018
0
2017
0
2016
0
2015
0
2014
0
2013
1
2012
9
2011
15
2010
15
2009
14
2008
8
2007
6
2006
9
2005
3
2004
3
2003
5
2002
0
2001
0
2000
0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Lick Branch Slurry Impoundment 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
2026 Q2
0
0
0
2026 Q1
0
0
0
2025 Q4
0
0
0
2025 Q3
0
0
0
2025 Q2
0
0
0
2025 Q1
0
0
0
2024 Q4
0
1
0
2024 Q3
0
0
0
Show 97 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2
0
0
0
2024 Q1
0
0
0
2023 Q4
0
0
0
2023 Q3
0
0
0
2023 Q2
0
0
0
2023 Q1
0
0
0
2022 Q4
0
0
0
2022 Q3
0
0
0
2022 Q2
0
0
0
2022 Q1
0
0
0
2021 Q4
0
0
0
2021 Q3
0
0
0
2021 Q2
0
0
0
2021 Q1
0
0
0
2020 Q4
0
0
0
2020 Q3
0
0
0
2020 Q2
0
0
0
2020 Q1
0
0
0
2019 Q4
0
0
0
2019 Q3
0
1
0
2019 Q2
0
1
0
2019 Q1
0
0
0
2018 Q4
0
0
0
2018 Q3
0
0
0
2018 Q2
0
0
0
2018 Q1
0
0
0
2017 Q4
0
0
0
2017 Q3
0
0
0
2017 Q2
0
0
0
2017 Q1
0
0
0
2016 Q4
0
0
0
2016 Q3
0
4
0
2016 Q2
0
0
0
2015 Q4
0
2
0
2015 Q3
0
0
0
2015 Q2
0
4
0
2015 Q1
0
0
0
2014 Q4
0
0
0
2014 Q3
0
1
0
2014 Q2
0
1
0
2014 Q1
0
0
0
2013 Q4
0
0
0
2013 Q3
0
1
0
2013 Q2
132
2
0
15151.5
2013 Q1
535
2
0
3738.3
2012 Q4
723
1
0
1383.1
2012 Q3
1,415
4
0
2826.9
2012 Q2
4,264
0
0
0.0
2012 Q1
10,094
0
0
0.0
2011 Q4
11,367
7
3
615.8
2011 Q3
11,434
1
0
87.5
2011 Q2
10,765
6
3
557.4
2011 Q1
10,686
2
2
187.2
2010 Q4
10,743
2
2
186.2
2010 Q3
11,581
0
0
0.0
2010 Q2
10,586
8
1
755.7
2010 Q1
12,162
1
0
82.2
2009 Q4
18,663
11
3
589.4
2009 Q3
12,255
6
0
489.6
2009 Q2
3,798
6
3
1579.8
2009 Q1
6,783
0
0
0.0
2008 Q4
5,448
4
2
734.2
2008 Q3
6,196
1
0
161.4
2008 Q2
4,118
14
7
3399.7
2008 Q1
5,962
0
0
0.0
2007 Q4
4,105
3
1
730.8
2007 Q3
4,814
0
0
0.0
2007 Q2
4,456
0
0
0.0
2007 Q1
6,854
5
2
729.5
2006 Q4
6,385
0
0
0.0
2006 Q3
5,120
11
7
2148.4
2006 Q2
5,288
0
0
0.0
2006 Q1
4,991
0
0
0.0
2005 Q4
5,255
4
0
761.2
2005 Q3
0
1
0
2005 Q2
630
0
0
0.0
2005 Q1
0
6
0
2004 Q4
0
0
0
2004 Q3
1,415
0
0
0.0
2004 Q2
1,998
0
0
0.0
2004 Q1
4,478
1
1
223.3
2003 Q4
3,160
1
0
316.5
2003 Q3
3,648
2
0
548.2
2003 Q2
3,039
0
0
0.0
2003 Q1
2,880
2
0
694.4
2002 Q4
0
0
0
2002 Q3
0
0
0
2002 Q2
0
0
0
2002 Q1
0
0
0
2001 Q4
0
1
0
2001 Q3
0
0
0
2001 Q2
0
0
0
2001 Q1
0
0
0
2000 Q4
0
0
0
2000 Q3
0
0
0
2000 Q2
0
0
0
2000 Q1
0
0
0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
9 on file
2012 · 1 incident
March 7, 2012KY · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanHANDLING OF MATERIALS
While changing out rollers on a belt line, EE struck a sharp piece of metal with his right forearm, resulting in a cut requiring 6 stitches. Collins returned to work the same day.
2011 · 3 incidents
October 19, 2011KY · Coalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
As Employee was climbing down the steps of his loader, he lost his footing and fell into the steps, causing a bruise to his right side. He was taken to the hospital where he was x-rayed and released to return to work the following day. On 10/24/11 he returned to the doctor and was diagnosed as having a bone spur in his back and was taken off work until 11/21/11.
August 17, 2011KY · Coalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Employee was using a pry bar to dislodge some material in a hopper when the bar slipped, causing a quick jerk to his back. Diagnosis is pending.
August 2, 2011KY · Coalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorSTEPPING OR KNEELING ON OBJECT
The ring finger on his left hand was pinched between two pieces of metal. When screen was rotated around, finger was caught. There was no conditions that contributed to accident.
THE EMPLOYEE WAS REMOVING THE IMPELLER FROM THE HEAVY MEDIA VESSEL PUMP. THE CHAIN WHICH WAS SECURING THE SHAFT BROKE WHEN PRESSURE WAS APPLIED TO THE CHEATER PIPE BEING USED TO LOOSEN THE IMP ELLER. THE EMPLOYEE FELL BACKWARDS STRIKING HIS HEAD ON A METAL CLAMP ATTACHED TO A PIPE CAUSING HEAD AND NECK INJURIES.
CITATION #4048242 WAS ISSUED FOR FAILURE TO NOTIFY MSHA IMMMEDIATELY FOR A FIRE IN THE STOCK PILE. THIS CITATION IS BEING CONTESTED BECAUSE WE DO NOT BELIEVE THAT A STOCKPILE FIRE CONSTITUES A MINE FIRE WHICH SHOULD BE REPORTED IMMEDIATELY.