Mining Incidents

Mine #4: 1 reportable incident Coal

Controlled by Ernest E Varney
Keen Mountain, Buchanan County, VA  ·  Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 4405951

MSHA record for Mine #4 (mine ID 4405951). Fatalities, non-fatal incidents grouped by year, current operator and controller, and mine context.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
1987
Latest incident
Sep 1987
Ownership history
  1. Tazco Inc 1982 to 1986
  2. Black Widow Coal Company Inc 1986 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.

Mine #4 sits in Buchanan County, Virginia, where the Census mining category is 11.2% 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.
Buchanan County, Virginia · Population 19,857
11.2%
Mining share of county employment
$42,216
Median household income
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates.
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

1987 · 1 incident

September 8, 1987 VA · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) MACHINERY
Black Widow Coal Company Inc · Struck by falling object

INJURED WAS BOL7ING TOP WHEN A SMALL PIECE OF ROCK FELL FROM ROOF STIRKING HIM ON T HE KNEE.