Mine No. 4: 4 MSHA citations
Coal
BIG ROCK,
Buchanan County,
VA
·
Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 4407042
Mine No. 4 has $231 in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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
- 2002
- Latest incident
- Oct 2002
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2002
1
significant & substantial
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2001
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: 82 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 No. 4 has $231 in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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.
4 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $66 in penalties contested before the Commission, $66 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2002-08-29.
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.
25.0%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
25.0%
reasonably likely or greater
0.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 75.0% low, 25.0% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
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 |
| VA 20020051 |
Default |
Barbour |
2002 |
$66 → $66 |
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
MSHA sampling at Mine No. 4 shows 100% of 10 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: 2002-08-27, 23 years ago
10 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR3
- HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER3
- HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR2
Silica (quartz)
Last sampled: 2002-04-02, 24 years ago
Most-sampled occupations
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR1
- HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR1
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: 2002-08-27, 23 years ago
Most-sampled occupations
- HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER2
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR1
- HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR1
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Mine No. 4 recorded 4.76 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2002.
Injury rate, 2002
ⓘ
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.
Below average. The US coal mining average was 6.89 and the all-US-mining average was 5.05 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 6.43 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.
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
-
Compac, Inc.
2001 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) |
| 2002 |
16 |
64,214 |
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Mine No. 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.
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 |
| 2002 Q4 |
9,581 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
| 2002 Q3 |
11,212 |
2 |
0 |
178.4 |
| 2002 Q2 |
10,258 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
| 2002 Q1 |
11,002 |
1 |
0 |
90.9 |
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
1 on file
2002 · 1 incident
Compac, Inc. · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)
EE WAS GOING TO ENTER HIS HAULAGE TRUCK AND AS HE WAS STANDING ON THE GROUND AND EXTENDED HIM SELF TO REACH THE FIRST RUNG ON THE LADDER HE PULLED SOMETHING IN HIS RIGHT LOWER STOMACH.