Honaker, Va, Russell County,
VA
·
Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 4407326
Louis Lowe Surface Mine has $7K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
7
Years on record
2015–2018
Latest incident
Mar 2018
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2014
52
citations
17
significant & substantial
$6,823
proposed penalties
$6,823
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 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.
Rate withheld: 661 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Louis Lowe Surface Mine has $7K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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.
$7K
proposed penalties
$7K
current assessed
$7K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
52 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2018-10-25.
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.
MSHA sampling at Louis Lowe Surface Mine shows 100% of 96 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: 2018-11-01, 7 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
96
samples
0.72
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.
68 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 28 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.
Louis Lowe Surface Mine recorded 10.30 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2018.
Injury rate, 2018
ⓘ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.
10.30
total case rate
3.43
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.34 and the all-US-mining average was 2.33 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 3.65 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
2018 *
10.30
3.43
0.000
2017 *
3.82
0.00
0.000
2016 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2015 *
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
ⓘCoal production is reported quarterly and lags the current period; the most recent quarters may be incomplete.
Year
Employees
Coal produced (tons)
2019
0
2018
27
3,367
2017
27
10,982
2016
14
1,125
2015
21
506
2014
0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Louis Lowe Surface Mine sits in Russell County, Virginia, where the Census mining category is 4.5% 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.
Russell County, Virginia · Population 25,635
4.5%
Mining share of county employment
$49,020
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 Q2
0
0
0
2019 Q1
0
0
0
2018 Q4
8,383
4
2
477.2
2018 Q3
15,885
3
1
188.9
2018 Q2
14,356
1
0
69.7
2018 Q1
19,628
1
0
50.9
2017 Q4
14,528
0
0
0.0
2017 Q3
14,571
8
2
549.0
Show 11 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2017 Q2
10,890
0
0
0.0
2017 Q1
12,300
5
1
406.5
2016 Q4
7,648
0
0
0.0
2016 Q3
6,528
0
0
0.0
2016 Q2
6,053
6
0
991.2
2016 Q1
4,619
4
1
866.0
2015 Q4
9,433
1
1
106.0
2015 Q3
5,239
4
2
763.5
2015 Q2
7,408
0
0
0.0
2015 Q1
8,172
0
0
0.0
2014 Q4
0
8
5
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
7 on file
2018 · 3 incidents
March 8, 2018VA · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techMACHINERY
Injured person is not a direct employee of Omega Surface Mining, LLC. EE is a truck driver employed by a contractor to haul coal from Omega's jobsite. EE came to the jobsite and got out of EE's truck to see if EE's truck bed was clear; EE slipped and fell on ice injuring EE's left hip.
January 29, 2018VA · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerEXPLODING VESSELS UNDER PRESSURE
Employee was removing the hydraulic tank from a 992K Front End Loader; the pressure in the tank caused the lid to shoot upwards striking the employee in the forehead.
2017 · 1 incident
November 17, 2017VA · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerMACHINERY
Employee was attempting to pressure test an after-cooler with 30 psi. The test instrument slipped out of the in-take of the after-cooler. Employee then instinctively attempted to grab the testing apparatus causing a cut to EE's left thumb which required 5 sutures to repair.
2015 · 1 incident
June 9, 2015VA · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS