Mining Incidents

Lick Fork Surface: 63 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by JW Resources Inc
Beverly, Clay County, KY  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1519004

Lick Fork Surface has $20K in proposed MSHA penalties and $4K outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
2009
Latest incident
Feb 2009
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2006
63
citations
30
significant & substantial
$20,247
proposed penalties
$16,377
paid to date
81% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $3,870 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2006
18
inspections on record
366
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: 366 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Lick Fork Surface has $20K in proposed MSHA penalties and $4K 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.
$20K
proposed penalties
$20K
current assessed
$16K
paid to date
$4K
outstanding
61 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2010-11-06.
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.
49.2%
significant & substantial
3.3%
high negligence or reckless
49.2%
reasonably likely or greater
1.6%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 11.5% low, 85.2% moderate, 3.3% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Lick Fork Surface shows 100% of 23 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: 2008-12-01, 17 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
23
samples
0.47
dust max (mg/m3)
23 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE8
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR7
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR4

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: 2008-12-01, 17 years ago
4%
over PEL
25
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE10
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR7
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR4
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% 6
2007 100% 17
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2008 13% 8
2007 0% 17
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Lick Fork Surface recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2008.

Injury rate, 2008
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 4.41 and the all-US-mining average was 3.61 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.87 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
2008 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2007 * 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. Century Operations LLC 2006 to 2007
  2. Mitco Enterprises Inc 2007 to 2010
  3. M3 Energy Resources, LLC 2010 to 2013
  4. Straight Creek Coal Mining, Inc 2013 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)
2011 0
2010 7 7,646
2009 7
2008 15
2007 18 23,431
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Lick Fork Surface sits in Clay County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 0.9% 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.
Clay County, Kentucky · Population 20,105
0.9%
Mining share of county employment
$39,607
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
2011 Q2 0 0 0
2011 Q1 0 0 0
2010 Q4 214 1 0 4672.9
2009 Q3 2,820 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 2,360 0 0 0.0
2009 Q1 7,379 1 0 135.5
2008 Q4 7,850 10 6 1273.9
2008 Q3 8,011 3 3 374.5
Show 6 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2008 Q2 5,342 6 2 1123.2
2008 Q1 7,983 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 9,812 16 5 1630.7
2007 Q3 10,834 9 4 830.7
2007 Q2 11,627 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 20,020 5 3 249.8
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2009 · 1 incident

February 6, 2009 KY · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman POWERED HAULAGE
Mitco Enterprises Inc · Struck against a moving object

Coal truck moving coal on haul road when the truck driver lost control of truck. The truck over turned injuring passenger in the truck.