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Midway Plant and Loadout: 198 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by ACNR Holdings, Inc
Centertown, Ohio County, KY  ·  Temporarily Idled
MSHA Mine ID: 1519165

Midway Plant and Loadout has $47K in proposed MSHA penalties and $239 outstanding across 23 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
10
Years on record
2008–2019
Latest incident
Jun 2019
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2008
198
citations
67
significant & substantial
$47,074
proposed penalties
$43,561
paid to date
93% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $3,513 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Muhlenberg County Coal Resources, Inc.'s full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2007
58
inspections on record
2,753
inspection hours
7.2
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.
198 citations across 2,753 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Midway Plant and Loadout has $47K in proposed MSHA penalties and $239 outstanding across 23 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.
$47K
proposed penalties
$44K
current assessed
$44K
paid to date
$239
outstanding
198 assessments are final orders; 23 contested dockets.
Of $9K in penalties contested before the Commission, $6K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2024-01-16.
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.
33.8%
significant & substantial
8.6%
high negligence or reckless
33.8%
reasonably likely or greater
16.2%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 10.1% low, 81.3% moderate, 8.6% 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.
42 citations taken to the federal commission · 21% of citations on record
  • Settled 42 · 100%
71%
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 21 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
35%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$9K proposed, $6K 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 2021-02-01.
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 2012-156 Settlement McCarthy 2013 $1K → $909
KENT 2012-1470 Settlement McCarthy 2013 $1K → $334
KENT 2011-330 Settlement Lesnick 2011 $1K → $320
KENT 2010-814 Settlement Pope II 2011 $784 → $276
KENT 2021-0049 Settlement McCarthy 2021 $720 → $242
KENT 2009-795 Settlement Lesnick 2009 $438 → $438
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Midway Plant and Loadout shows 99% of 210 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: 2024-02-23
99%
within 1.5 mg/m3
210
samples
2.98
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.
175 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 35 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR67
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER31
  • MECHANIC21

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2015-12-09, 10 years ago
4.4
silica avg (%)
1
samples
4.4
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR1
See US coal mines ranked by silica in their dust samples.

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: 2023-06-20, 3 years ago
0%
over PEL
76
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER14
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR12
  • UTILITY MAN10
See US mines ranked by noise samples over the legal limit.
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
2024 100% 1
2023 100% 8
2022 100% 13
2021 100% 10
2020 100% 9
2019 100% 14
2018 100% 7
2017 100% 21
2016 100% 11
2015 96% 26
2014 94% 17
2013 100% 17
2012 100% 15
2011 100% 10
2010 100% 4
2009 100% 17
2008 90% 10
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2023 0% 2
2021 0% 2
2020 0% 3
2019 0% 5
2017 0% 5
2015 0% 15
2014 0% 8
2013 0% 8
2012 0% 8
2011 0% 5
2010 0% 5
2008 0% 10
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Midway Plant and Loadout recorded 0.00 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.
0.00
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.34 and the all-US-mining average was 2.33 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 3.81 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 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2017 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2016 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2015 * 11.04 7.36 0.000
2014 * 2.25 2.25 0.000
2013 * 4.69 0.00 0.000
2012 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2011 * 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. Armstrong Coal Company Inc 2007 to 2018
  2. Western Kentucky Rail Loadout, LLC 2018 to 2020
  3. Muhlenberg County Coal Resources, Inc. 2020 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 1
2025 2
2024 2
2023 4
2022 5
2021 3
2020 3
2019 5
2018 9
2017 13
2016 12
2015 33
2014 49
2013 42
2012 42
2011 36
2010 36
2009 39
2008 23
2007 1
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Midway Plant and Loadout sits in Ohio County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 1.0% 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.
Ohio County, Kentucky · Population 23,704
1.0%
Mining share of county employment
$54,369
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 240 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 40 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 60 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 70 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 70 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 410 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 710 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 32 0 0 0.0
Show 66 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 30 0 0 0.0
2024 Q1 2,033 2 0 983.8
2023 Q4 2,213 1 0 451.9
2023 Q3 1,869 0 0 0.0
2023 Q2 2,658 1 1 376.2
2023 Q1 2,242 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 2,180 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 2,592 0 0 0.0
2022 Q2 2,174 1 0 460.0
2022 Q1 2,868 0 0 0.0
2021 Q4 2,149 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 2,032 1 0 492.1
2021 Q2 2,077 4 0 1925.9
2021 Q1 1,201 2 0 1665.3
2020 Q4 1,071 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 1,474 5 4 3392.1
2020 Q1 793 2 1 2522.1
2019 Q4 2,364 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 3,475 7 1 2014.4
2019 Q2 3,394 3 0 883.9
2019 Q1 2,745 2 1 728.6
2018 Q4 2,589 4 0 1545.0
2018 Q3 3,530 1 0 283.3
2018 Q2 3,160 10 2 3164.6
2018 Q1 12,993 3 1 230.9
2017 Q4 5,201 1 0 192.3
2017 Q3 6,568 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 6,138 1 0 162.9
2017 Q1 6,194 2 0 322.9
2016 Q4 5,378 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 5,067 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 4,710 2 0 424.6
2016 Q1 5,929 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 9,244 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 11,479 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 14,238 2 1 140.5
2015 Q1 19,365 6 1 309.8
2014 Q4 20,612 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 21,871 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 21,903 4 2 182.6
2014 Q1 24,394 1 0 41.0
2013 Q4 21,708 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 21,854 3 0 137.3
2013 Q2 22,125 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 19,623 2 0 101.9
2012 Q4 18,340 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 20,963 5 2 238.5
2012 Q2 18,878 4 1 211.9
2012 Q1 20,455 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 20,554 3 0 146.0
2011 Q3 19,886 6 2 301.7
2011 Q2 16,404 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 16,770 1 0 59.6
2010 Q4 13,973 0 0 0.0
2010 Q3 15,515 6 0 386.7
2010 Q2 16,557 5 0 302.0
2010 Q1 20,643 1 0 48.4
2009 Q4 19,578 3 1 153.2
2009 Q3 19,789 2 0 101.1
2009 Q2 20,662 6 1 290.4
2009 Q1 20,635 3 2 145.4
2008 Q4 20,160 5 1 248.0
2008 Q3 19,669 1 0 50.8
2008 Q2 4,294 1 1 232.9
2008 Q1 1,138 1 1 878.7
2007 Q4 224 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

10 on file

2019 · 1 incident

June 11, 2019 KY · Coal water truck operator OTHER
Western Kentucky Rail Loadout, LLC · Bodily reaction, (Not Elsewhere Classified)

The employee dismounted the water truck and when they started to mount the truck they felt something pull in the left leg thigh.

2015 · 4 incidents

November 23, 2015 KY · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Armstrong Coal Company Inc · Struck by falling object

While unloading 6" polly pipe from semi-truck a piece of pipe became lodged and as employee walked up to side of truck the pipe became free hitting him in thigh. His foot was wedged in between two pieces of pipe already on ground, as he was knocked over by the force of the falling pipe.

May 18, 2015 KY · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Armstrong Coal Company Inc · Fall to the walkway or working surface

The employee was cleaning the railroad track out getting ready to load a train when she slipped and fell injuring her back.

March 6, 2015 KY · Coal front-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operator SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Armstrong Coal Company Inc · Fall from machine

The employee had just mounted the 992 loader to start the engine as he was dismounting he was on the last step and slipped and fell on snow and ice covered ground injuring his head.

February 9, 2015 KY · Coal warehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operator HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Armstrong Coal Company Inc · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was attempting to install a piece of expanded metal over a chute at the breaker to create a walkway, the metal slipped. As he attempted to catch it, he put all of the weight on his right foot which caused the injury.

2014 · 1 incident

October 11, 2014 KY · Coal front-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operator SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Armstrong Coal Company Inc · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was performing a pre-operational inspection on a 992G loader. While doing his walk around inspection of the loader he stepped across the parking ditch that the loader was parked in and twisted his right knee.

2013 · 2 incidents

September 3, 2013 KY · Coal pumper HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Armstrong Coal Company Inc · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee turned on a water valve to wash the floor in the Prep Plant. The hose that was attached ruptured at a repair splice causing the hose to hit the employee in the forehead. This caused a laceration that required medical attention. He received switches to close the laceration.

March 11, 2013 KY · Coal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Armstrong Coal Company Inc · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was prying a shaker box spring in place when the pry bar slipped striking his safety glasses causing a laceration of his left eyebrow.

2009 · 1 incident

February 5, 2009 KY · Coal pumper SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Armstrong Coal Company Inc · Fall down stairs

EE stated that he had been in the control room area on the 2nd floor & had reported to his supervisor that he was not feeling well. The supervisor stated that the injured mineer sat at the table for 15 minutes, got up and left the room. The injured went down the 1st flight of stairs to the landing, turned & started down the 2nd row of steps not using the handrails. He fell.

2008 · 1 incident

December 16, 2008 KY · Coal pumper POWERED HAULAGE
Armstrong Coal Company Inc · Caught in, under or between (Not Elsewhere Classified)

EE was in the process of doing maintenance on the E. underflow pump located in prep. plant. Before it was started, power to the motor was to be knocked, locked, tagged out. He removed the belt guard from the underflow pump; grabbed the motor pulley with his right hand while it was still running causing the r. thumb to be amputated below upper knuckle.