Michael Powellton Deep Mine has $853K in proposed MSHA penalties and $166K outstanding across 19 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
12
Years on record
2024–2026
Latest incident
Feb 2026
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2022
678
citations
142
significant & substantial
$853,058
proposed penalties
$566,266
paid to date
66% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $286,792 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.
678 citations across 2,817 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Michael Powellton Deep Mine has $853K in proposed MSHA penalties and $166K outstanding across 19 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.
$853K
proposed penalties
$733K
current assessed
$566K
paid to date
$166K
outstanding
615 assessments are final orders; 19 contested dockets.
Of $266K in penalties contested before the Commission, $145K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-06-09.
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.
81citations taken to the federal commission · 12% of citations on record
Settled
71 · 88%
Still open
10 · 12%
73%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 37 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
45%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$266K proposed, $145K 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 2026-07-19.
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 Michael Powellton Deep Mine shows 100% of 1,200 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: 2026-08-19
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
1,200
samples
1.91
dust max (mg/m3)
1
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.
166 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 1,034 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.
Michael Powellton Deep Mine recorded 10.43 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2025.
Injury rate, 2025
ⓘ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.
10.43
total case rate
5.96
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.19 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 3.89 cases per 100 workers that year.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2025
10.43
5.96
0.000
2024
5.11
3.40
0.000
2023 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2022 *
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)
2026
53
187,435
2025
52
307,434
2024
43
176,750
2023
22
46,357
2022
30
193,821
2021
5
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Michael Powellton Deep Mine sits in Logan County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 6.6% 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.
Logan County, West Virginia · Population 31,826
6.6%
Mining share of county employment
$47,237
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
2026 Q2
32,537
44
16
1352.3
2026 Q1
34,813
39
11
1120.3
2025 Q4
32,408
30
4
925.7
2025 Q3
33,816
48
13
1419.4
2025 Q2
33,623
50
8
1487.1
2025 Q1
34,343
35
4
1019.1
2024 Q4
28,846
33
6
1144.0
2024 Q3
32,861
73
12
2221.5
Show 11 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2
30,863
56
12
1814.5
2024 Q1
24,961
11
0
440.7
2023 Q4
5,527
25
3
4523.2
2023 Q3
9,833
1
0
101.7
2023 Q2
8,896
5
0
562.1
2023 Q1
16,370
44
9
2687.8
2022 Q4
26,558
70
15
2635.7
2022 Q3
32,355
59
14
1823.5
2022 Q2
19,451
11
0
565.5
2022 Q1
4,690
1
0
213.2
2021 Q4
558
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
12 on file
2026 · 1 incident
February 27, 2026WV · Coalexaminer, fire boss, pre-shift examiner, mine examinerHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Employee was standing in a crosscut, away from where a group was sheaving the belt take up back, when the sheaving device broke free. EE was struck with mud, rock, and debris causing corneal abrasions and a hairline fracture in orbital. EE was prescribed medicated eye drops and released.
2025 · 7 incidents
August 20, 2025WV · Coalexaminer, fire boss, pre-shift examiner, mine examinerHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Employee had drilled a hole to install a roof bolt when the drill steel became stuck. As they turned to get another piece of steel to retrieve the stuck steel, the stuck steel fell from the hole, catching their thumb between the steel and the drill pot.
Employee was loading a bag on rock dust into the scoop and injured EE's right shoulder. The incident occurred on 4/12/25, the employee continued to work until 4/15/25. On 4/16/25 the employee sought medical treatment and written off at this time.
Employee was using a hammer to drive in a miner bit insert on the continuous miner and struck left hand causing a laceration. The employee was wearing gloves at the time of incident.
March 4, 2025WV · Coalroof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs)SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
An unplanned roof fall occurred outby an entrapped mobile roof support in the No. 6 entry, just inby spad no. 504. The area affected was one bolt pulled above anchorage in the active workings.
November 13, 2024WV · Coalroof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs)HANDLING OF MATERIALS