Mining Incidents

Mine #3: 107 MSHA citations Coal

L & E Contracting Inc · Underground
Controlled by Bradley B Hopkins
Jenkins, Letcher County, KY  ·  Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 1518772

Mine #3 has $10K in proposed MSHA penalties and $10K outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
2
Years on record
2005
Latest incident
Oct 2005
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2004
107
citations
33
significant & substantial
$10,349
proposed penalties
$0
paid to date
0% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $10,349 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2004
14
inspections on record
665
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: 665 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Mine #3 has $10K in proposed MSHA penalties and $10K outstanding across 0 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.
$10K
proposed penalties
$10K
current assessed
$0
paid to date
$10K
outstanding
106 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2006-06-26.
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.
31.1%
significant & substantial
0.9%
high negligence or reckless
31.1%
reasonably likely or greater
8.5%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 9.4% low, 89.6% moderate, 0.9% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Mine #3 shows 91% of 57 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: 2006-05-11, 20 years ago
91%
within 1.5 mg/m3
57
samples
3.21
dust max (mg/m3)
37 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 20 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR21
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR6
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)6

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2006-05-18, 20 years ago
5.6
silica avg (%)
7
samples
7.7
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR4

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: 2006-03-08, 20 years ago
9%
over PEL
11
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR2
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (INTAKE SIDE)2
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)2
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
2006 92% 13
2005 90% 31
2004 92% 13
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2006 5.7 1
2005 6.1 4
2004 4.7 2
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2006 0% 6
2005 20% 5
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. Cliffco Enterprise, Inc. 2004 to 2005
  2. L & E Contracting Inc 2005 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)
2006 8 6,710
2005 12 21,120
2004 14 15,277
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Mine #3 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
2006 Q4 0 0 0
2006 Q3 0 0 0
2006 Q2 2,784 23 3 8261.5
2006 Q1 4,998 18 4 3601.4
2005 Q4 3,770 18 7 4774.5
2005 Q3 2,638 38 16 14404.9
2005 Q2 4,823 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 6,833 5 2 731.7
Show 1 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2004 Q4 5,870 4 1 681.4
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

2 on file

2005 · 2 incidents

October 14, 2005 KY · Coal shuttle car operator, mantrip operator, ramcar operator, rail runner, buggy operator POWERED HAULAGE
L & E Contracting Inc · Struck by falling object

Tigming up belt entry toward miner timber fall into dekc pinning left arm against from of shuttle car.

May 6, 2005 KY · Coal bull gang foreman, labor foreman, leadman, section foreman, shift boss FALL OF FACE/RIB/PILLAR/SIDE/HIGHWALL
Cliffco Enterprise, Inc. · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

HORSEBACK OR SLICKED SLATE FELL FROM RIB, PINCHING EE AGAINST ROOF BOLTER AND CAUSING INJURY TO UPPER BACK AREA. BRUISING & SWELLING WERE OBSERVED AT INJURY. ROCK MEASURED APPROX. 4' X 18" X 4-6" THICK.