Mining Incidents

Mine # 1: 227 MSHA citations Coal

Blue Ridge Fuels L.L.C. · Surface
Controlled by Eddie Lawson
Pikeville, Pike County, KY  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1518952

Mine # 1 has $98K in proposed MSHA penalties and $34K outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
2006
Latest incident
Nov 2006
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2006
227
citations
71
significant & substantial
$97,776
proposed penalties
$64,189
paid to date
66% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $33,587 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2005
50
inspections on record
1,232
inspection hours
18.4
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.
227 citations across 1,232 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Mine # 1 has $98K in proposed MSHA penalties and $34K outstanding across 1 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.
$98K
proposed penalties
$98K
current assessed
$64K
paid to date
$34K
outstanding
207 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $312 in penalties contested before the Commission, $300 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2019-01-16.
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.
33.5%
significant & substantial
3.3%
high negligence or reckless
33.5%
reasonably likely or greater
22.6%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 4.7% low, 92.0% moderate, 3.3% 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.
3 citations taken to the federal commission · 1% of citations on record
  • Settled 3 · 100%
4%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$312 proposed, $300 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 2010-09-30.
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 2011-2 Settlement Weisberger 2011 $312 → $300
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Mine # 1 shows 100% of 63 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: 2018-08-09, 8 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
63
samples
1.17
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.
46 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 17 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR23
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR14
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE8

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2018-08-01, 8 years ago
11.5
silica avg (%)
10
samples
19.6
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR7
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR3

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: 2018-07-25, 8 years ago
6%
over PEL
35
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR9
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE6
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR5
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
2018 100% 16
2017 100% 12
2015 100% 14
2014 100% 6
2011 100% 3
2010 100% 3
2009 100% 6
2006 100% 3
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2018 15.0 3
2017 13.2 3
2015 10.9 1
2014 6.3 3
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2018 0% 7
2017 0% 4
2015 0% 2
2014 33% 6
2011 0% 3
2010 0% 3
2009 0% 7
2006 0% 3
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. Alpha Reclamation Contracting Inc 2005 to 2006
  2. Jones Fork Mining LLC 2006 to 2006
  3. Black Forest Coal LLC 2006 to 2012
  4. Barnett Energy, LLC. 2012 to 2013
  5. Black Forest Coal, LLC 2013 to 2014
  6. JMEG Mine, LLC 2014 to 2016
  7. Phoenix Fuels Corporation 2016 to 2019
  8. Blue Ridge Fuels L.L.C. 2019 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)
2018 4 2,976
2017 4 9,609
2016 2 3,041
2015 8 37,470
2014 6 809
2013 3
2012 5
2011 4 1,859
2010 5 5,676
2009 11 19,191
2008 16 7,585
2007 9 18,720
2006 6 4,033
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Mine # 1 sits in Pike County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 5.1% 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.
Pike County, Kentucky · Population 57,466
5.1%
Mining share of county employment
$42,179
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
2018 Q2 1,520 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 689 4 0 5805.5
2017 Q4 1,020 1 0 980.4
2017 Q3 889 4 1 4499.4
2017 Q2 513 5 1 9746.6
2017 Q1 933 3 0 3215.4
2016 Q4 593 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 0 0 0
Show 33 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2015 Q3 6,435 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 3,900 13 5 3333.3
2015 Q1 696 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 1,611 2 0 1241.5
2014 Q2 1,883 3 0 1593.2
2014 Q1 1,652 5 3 3026.6
2013 Q4 1,916 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 960 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 480 2 1 4166.7
2013 Q1 480 2 0 4166.7
2012 Q3 1,702 2 0 1175.1
2012 Q2 1,543 5 2 3240.4
2012 Q1 1,440 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 752 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 1,431 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 2,005 2 0 997.5
2011 Q1 2,593 6 1 2313.9
2010 Q4 2,616 0 0 0.0
2010 Q3 1,942 14 7 7209.1
2010 Q2 1,138 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 1 0 0 0.0
2009 Q4 2,084 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 3,323 15 5 4514.0
2009 Q2 5,821 15 3 2576.9
2009 Q1 7,884 11 3 1395.2
2008 Q4 7,048 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 2,677 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 6,599 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 5,375 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 5,280 17 4 3219.7
2006 Q3 775 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 1,512 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 0 10 0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2006 · 1 incident

November 14, 2006 KY · Coal greaser, grease man, oiler, lube man, dragline oiler SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Black Forest Coal LLC · Fall from machine

Employee was greasing 992C end loader. He was climbing the steps to the platform on top of the machine to grease bucket arms. While climbing steps, he slipped and fell to the ground. He hurt his leg.