Mining Incidents

Maple Creek Mine #1: 74 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by Ferroglobe PLC
Williamsburg, Whitley County, KY  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1519614

Maple Creek Mine #1 has $43K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 12 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
3
Years on record
2011–2015
Latest incident
Apr 2015
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2011
74
citations
17
significant & substantial
$42,631
proposed penalties
$28,815
paid to date
68% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $13,816 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2011
31
inspections on record
894
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: 894 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Maple Creek Mine #1 has $43K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 12 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.
$43K
proposed penalties
$29K
current assessed
$29K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
69 assessments are final orders; 12 contested dockets.
Of $37K in penalties contested before the Commission, $23K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2016-11-16.
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.
24.3%
significant & substantial
1.4%
high negligence or reckless
24.3%
reasonably likely or greater
8.6%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 18.6% low, 80.0% moderate, 1.4% high, 0.0% reckless.
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.
25 citations taken to the federal commission · 34% of citations on record
  • Settled 25 · 100%
57%
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 14 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
38%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$37K proposed, $23K 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 2015-04-23.
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.
Docket Decision Judge Year Proposed / upheld
KENT 2014-197 Settlement McCarthy 2014 $13K → $5K
KENT 2013-444 Settlement Zielinski 2013 $7K → $5K
KENT 2012-866 Settlement Zielinski 2013 $3K → $3K
KENT 2014-0701 Settlement McCarthy 2015 $3K → $3K
KENT 2015-0001 Settlement McCarthy 2015 $3K → $687
KENT 2015-0419 Settlement McCarthy 2015 $3K → $2K
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Maple Creek Mine #1 shows 100% of 132 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: 2017-03-10, 9 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
132
samples
0.79
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.
71 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 61 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR59
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR30
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER19

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2016-11-15, 9 years ago
10.7
silica avg (%)
9
samples
28.6
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR5
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER3
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR1

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: 2016-11-07, 9 years ago
2%
over PEL
54
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR16
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE12
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER9
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
2017 100% 4
2016 100% 33
2015 100% 28
2014 100% 24
2013 100% 18
2012 100% 15
2011 100% 10
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2016 7.9 5
2014 9.3 2
2012 19.4 2
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2016 0% 13
2015 0% 10
2014 0% 10
2013 0% 5
2012 8% 12
2011 0% 4
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Maple Creek Mine #1 recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2016.

Injury rate, 2016
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 3.79 and the all-US-mining average was 2.59 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.56 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
2016 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2015 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2014 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2013 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2012 * 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. Alden Resources, LLC 2011 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)
2017 5 10,155
2016 9 20,426
2015 23 33,472
2014 29 59,110
2013 21 64,648
2012 25 72,693
2011 24 23,367
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Maple Creek Mine #1 sits in Whitley County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 0.0% 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.
Whitley County, Kentucky · Population 36,755
0.0%
Mining share of county employment
$41,719
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
2017 Q2 3,394 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 3,123 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 5,035 2 0 397.2
2016 Q3 5,985 6 0 1002.5
2016 Q2 7,445 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 3,712 1 0 269.4
2015 Q4 3,780 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 10,254 1 0 97.5
Show 16 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2015 Q2 16,711 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 17,482 4 3 228.8
2014 Q4 17,763 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 17,660 4 1 226.5
2014 Q2 23,398 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 14,433 5 0 346.4
2013 Q4 11,256 2 0 177.7
2013 Q3 13,759 11 3 799.5
2013 Q2 14,174 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 9,279 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 12,972 4 1 308.4
2012 Q3 14,689 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 24,808 5 4 201.5
2012 Q1 20,617 1 0 48.5
2011 Q4 16,706 2 1 119.7
2011 Q3 4,341 3 1 691.1
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

3 on file

2015 · 1 incident

April 27, 2015 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech STEPPING OR KNEELING ON OBJECT
Alden Resources, LLC · Struck against stationary object

stepping from track of machine to ladder - ladder slipped sideways twisting left knee

2013 · 1 incident

October 10, 2013 KY · Coal EXPLOSIVES AND BREAKING AGENTS
Alden Resources, LLC · Accident type, without injuries

Tooth on loader bucket came in contact with a primer which had failed to detonate at the time shot was fired. The primer detonated when struck by the bucket tooth struck same.

2011 · 1 incident

November 17, 2011 KY · Coal rotary bucket excavator operator MACHINERY
Alden Resources, LLC · Struck against a moving object

Material slipped from under the excavator causing it to turn over.