Appalachia, Wise County,
VA
·
Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 4407251
Looney Creek Marker Mine has $117K in proposed MSHA penalties and $21K outstanding across 25 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
9
Years on record
2010–2012
Latest incident
Jan 2012
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2009
213
citations
69
significant & substantial
$116,630
proposed penalties
$83,484
paid to date
72% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $33,146 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.
213 citations across 1,874 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Looney Creek Marker Mine has $117K in proposed MSHA penalties and $21K outstanding across 25 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.
$117K
proposed penalties
$105K
current assessed
$83K
paid to date
$21K
outstanding
209 assessments are final orders; 25 contested dockets.
Of $79K in penalties contested before the Commission, $70K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2012-06-26.
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.
104citations taken to the federal commission · 49% of citations on record
Settled
93 · 89%
Stood as issued
11 · 11%
96%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 68 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
11%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$79K proposed, $70K 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 2012-03-20.
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 Looney Creek Marker Mine shows 90% of 182 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: 2012-01-26, 14 years ago
90%
within 1.5 mg/m3
182
samples
4.22
dust max (mg/m3)
102 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 80 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.
Looney Creek Marker Mine recorded 3.59 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.
3.59
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.83 and the all-US-mining average was 3.08 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 3.41 cases per 100 workers that year.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2011
3.59
0.00
0.000
2010 *
10.20
4.08
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
ⓘCoal production is reported quarterly and lags the current period; the most recent quarters may be incomplete.
Year
Employees
Coal produced (tons)
2012
7
8,597
2011
44
315,998
2010
40
312,929
2009
7
35,349
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Looney Creek Marker Mine sits in Wise County, Virginia, where the Census mining category is 5.9% 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.
Wise County, Virginia · Population 35,727
5.9%
Mining share of county employment
$50,740
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
2012 Q3
581
0
0
0.0
2012 Q2
1,134
1
0
881.8
2012 Q1
5,605
1
0
178.4
2011 Q4
26,916
25
11
928.8
2011 Q3
28,550
17
4
595.4
2011 Q2
28,545
12
4
420.4
2011 Q1
27,365
25
8
913.6
2010 Q4
24,970
16
2
640.8
Show 6 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2010 Q3
25,433
11
3
432.5
2010 Q2
24,760
48
18
1938.6
2010 Q1
22,921
39
13
1701.5
2009 Q4
6,580
10
3
1519.8
2009 Q3
0
0
0
2009 Q2
1,044
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
9 on file
2012 · 1 incident
January 6, 2012VA · Coallaborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scalerHANDLING OF MATERIALS
The weekly examination was being performed when the foreman, EE, found a roof fall in the (A LEFT)panel one break inby spad #552. The foreman timbered all sides of the fall and dangered off the area. Additional timbers were set in nearby entries around the fall.
September 1, 2011VA · Coaldiscontinued 1/31/2014. several other codes cover scoop car operatorFALL OF ROOF OR BACK
While employee was installing roof bolt a piece of rock fell, hitting the pan and plate pinching left hand against wrench bruising middle and index fingers.
January 3, 2011VA · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanHANDLING OF MATERIALS
The EE was loading I-Beams into the scoop bucket when the back end of the I-Beam kicked around and caught his finger between the beams. The injury required sutures but there were no lost or restricted work days.
The employee was moving the cable to the continuous mining machine out of the roadway and felt pain in his upper abdomen. He continued to work his regular job. but during a dr's visit on june 29 2010 it was determined that he had a hernia of his upper abdomen.
April 30, 2010VA · Coalbeltman, conveyor man, conveyor belt worker, mobile bridge carrierman, feeder operator, conveyor riderSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
The individual was raising a 3.2 hp submersible pump to adjust the hanger straps. The pump slipped and dropped. The individual experienced sharp pain in lower left abdomen. No lost or restricted days at this time. Surgery will be scheduled to repair the hernia.
January 20, 2010VA · Coalshuttle car operator, mantrip operator, ramcar operator, rail runner, buggy operatorFALL OF ROOF OR BACK