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.
950 citations across 7,063 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Imminent-danger orders
ⓘA Section 107(a) order removes miners from an area when an inspector finds an imminent danger. Each order is lifted once the condition is corrected, so this counts orders issued, not orders now in effect.
2
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2012-08-09.
On record since 2011.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
Mine #2 has $687K in proposed MSHA penalties and $595K outstanding across 53 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.
$687K
proposed penalties
$660K
current assessed
$65K
paid to date
$595K
outstanding
927 assessments are final orders; 53 contested dockets.
Of $492K in penalties contested before the Commission, $465K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2016-02-02.
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.
461citations taken to the federal commission · 49% of citations on record
Settled
352 · 76%
Stood as issued
109 · 24%
97%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 140 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
6%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$492K proposed, $465K 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 A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record.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 2014-09-03.
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 Mine #2 shows 100% of 313 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: 2015-12-17, 10 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
313
samples
1.66
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.
179 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 134 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.
Mine #2 recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2014.
Injury rate, 2014
ⓘ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 3.96 and the all-US-mining average was 2.93 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.63 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
2014 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2013 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2012 *
5.21
5.21
0.000
2011 *
18.18
9.09
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)
2015
16
35,398
2014
17
44,558
2013
23
72,512
2012
19
62,563
2011
13
52,886
2010
8
2,423
2009
22
81,290
2008
18
10,446
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Mine #2 sits in Letcher County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 3.5% 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.
Letcher County, Kentucky · Population 21,146
3.5%
Mining share of county employment
$40,501
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
2015 Q3
6,872
29
7
4220.0
2015 Q2
9,984
65
15
6510.4
2015 Q1
9,328
30
4
3216.1
2014 Q4
9,488
36
2
3794.3
2014 Q3
10,128
10
4
987.4
2014 Q2
9,984
37
10
3705.9
2014 Q1
7,860
40
15
5089.1
2013 Q4
9,418
50
13
5309.0
Show 16 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2013 Q3
14,022
45
10
3209.2
2013 Q2
14,300
57
11
3986.0
2013 Q1
13,428
30
8
2234.1
2012 Q4
12,167
66
13
5424.5
2012 Q3
6,276
41
11
6532.8
2012 Q2
10,080
69
16
6845.2
2012 Q1
9,888
43
15
4348.7
2011 Q4
6,066
30
6
4945.6
2011 Q3
4,582
44
11
9602.8
2011 Q2
5,982
42
13
7021.1
2011 Q1
5,371
25
6
4654.6
2010 Q4
2,112
10
3
4734.8
2009 Q3
12,451
17
3
1365.4
2009 Q2
12,234
11
2
899.1
2009 Q1
11,115
19
3
1709.4
2008 Q4
19,134
5
2
261.3
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
12 on file
2015 · 1 incident
March 9, 2015KY · Coalbeltman, conveyor man, conveyor belt worker, mobile bridge carrierman, feeder operator, conveyor riderHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Clark Mining, Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Belt boss taking out top roller of belt . Dropped caught finger between belt rail and top structure cut end of middle. Went to hospital got 17 stitches.
Roof bolting left break when piece of draw rock fell hitting employee on right hand. Went to ER cleaned & sutured hand. Had to have surgery at a later date to repair tendon on hand.
2011 · 2 incidents
December 10, 2011KY · Coalbeltman, conveyor man, conveyor belt worker, mobile bridge carrierman, feeder operator, conveyor riderPOWERED HAULAGE
Clark Mining, Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Shoveling tail piece while belt was running. Belt caught shovel and pinched finger against tail piece. Mashed end of finger.
July 19, 2011KY · Coalroof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs)MACHINERY
Clark Mining, Inc · Caught in, under or between (Not Elsewhere Classified)
Caught finger between steel and chuck of bolter head cutting finger. Went to ER, finger was cleaned and sutured.
At 9:50 AM on 10/27/10, an unintentional roof fall was discovered during a pre-shift examination while an MSHA inspection was on-going. The fall occurred at Spad #165 on the belt. It measured approximately 25' L x 20' W x 6' H.
An unintentional roof fall was discovered during an MSHA inspection. (This was the second of three roof falls originally reported on 10/22/10). The fall occurred between #4 and #5 entries at Spad #111, measuring approximately 6' H x 20' W x 60'L.
Three unintentional roof falls were discovered during an MSHA inspection. The first occurred at the #5 entry at spad #83 (measuring approximately 6' H x 20' W x 50'L).
An unintentional roof fall was discovered during an MSHA inspection. (This was the third of three falls originally reported on 10/22/2010). It occurred at the #3 entry between blocks outby Spad #122, measuring 6' H x 20' W x 40'L).
An unintentional roof fall was discovered during a pre-shift examination. The fall occurred at the #2 Entry of the Return, 1 break outby Spad #138. It measured approximately 6 -7 feet high, 20 feet wide, and 40 feet long.
Roof fall, 60' over to right of spad 130, #8 entry intake. 50' long X 19.5' wide X 5-6' thick. No passage way blocked, no vent change, no escape routes blocked.