Mining Incidents

Licking River Surface Mine: 62 MSHA citations Coal

Salyersville, Magoffin County, KY  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1518702

Licking River Surface Mine has $8K in proposed MSHA penalties and $60 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
3
Years on record
2004–2005
Latest incident
Apr 2005
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2004
62
citations
34
significant & substantial
$8,163
proposed penalties
$8,103
paid to date
99% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $60 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2004
11
inspections on record
311
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: 311 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Licking River Surface Mine has $8K in proposed MSHA penalties and $60 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.
$8K
proposed penalties
$8K
current assessed
$8K
paid to date
$60
outstanding
62 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2005-10-18.
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.
54.8%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
54.8%
reasonably likely or greater
12.9%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 4.8% low, 95.2% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Licking River Surface Mine shows 100% of 34 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: 2005-10-17, 20 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
34
samples
1.35
dust max (mg/m3)
34 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR10
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER5
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE4

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: 2005-10-17, 20 years ago
25%
over PEL
16
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR8
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER3
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE2
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
2005 100% 9
2004 100% 25
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2005 44% 9
2004 0% 7
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Licking River Surface Mine recorded 3.62 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2005.

Injury rate, 2005
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.
3.62
total case rate
3.62
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 5.11 and the all-US-mining average was 4.21 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 5.46 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
2005 * 3.62 3.62 0.000
2004 * 5.45 5.45 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)
2006 0
2005 33 205,899
2004 44 326,860
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Licking River Surface Mine sits in Magoffin County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 2.7% 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.
Magoffin County, Kentucky · Population 11,495
2.7%
Mining share of county employment
$33,632
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
2006 Q4 0 0 0
2006 Q3 0 0 0
2006 Q2 0 0 0
2006 Q1 0 0 0
2005 Q4 254 2 2 7874.0
2005 Q3 15,613 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 20,814 13 9 624.6
2005 Q1 18,624 0 0 0.0
Show 4 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2004 Q4 20,400 19 10 931.4
2004 Q3 20,090 10 5 497.8
2004 Q2 21,272 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 11,687 4 1 342.3
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

3 on file

2005 · 1 incident

April 15, 2005 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech MACHINERY
Associated Contracting, LLC · Caught in, under or between running or meshing objects

Mechanic was taking a belt off of an air compressor, he hit the starter by accident, when the engine cranked it pulled his finger in between the belt and pulley cutting it.

2004 · 2 incidents

July 1, 2004 KY · Coal greaser, grease man, oiler, lube man, dragline oiler OTHER
Associated Contracting, LLC · Absorption of radiations, caustics, toxic and noxious substances

Ee was getting ready to loosen track on excavator when he was snake bitten.