Twin State Mining, Inc. · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)
Employee was carrying parts, when EE's right foot got stuck in the mud and EE felt pain in EE's lower back.
MINE NO. 44: 509 MSHA citations Coal
TWIN STATE MINING, INC.
· Underground
Controlled by
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc
Eckman,
Mcdowell County,
WV
·
Active
MSHA Mine ID: 4609523
MINE NO. 44 has $331K in proposed MSHA penalties and $3K outstanding across 3 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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- Fatalities
- 0
- Total incidents
- 6
- Years on record
- 2023–2026
- Latest incident
- Jan 2026
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2022
509
citations
97
significant & substantial
$331,380
proposed penalties
$301,613
paid to date
91% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $29,767 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2022
49
inspections on record
3,484
inspection hours
14.6
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.509 citations across 3,484 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
MINE NO. 44 has $331K in proposed MSHA penalties and $3K outstanding across 3 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.$331K
proposed penalties
$305K
current assessed
$302K
paid to date
$3K
outstanding
493 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $34K in penalties contested before the Commission, $7K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-05-19.
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.19.3%
significant & substantial
3.6%
high negligence or reckless
19.3%
reasonably likely or greater
41.2%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 66.0% low, 30.4% moderate, 3.6% 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.
7
citations taken to the federal commission · 1% of citations on record
- Settled 6 · 86%
- Still open 1 · 14%
0%
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 2 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
78%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$34K proposed, $7K 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 2026-03-10.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEVA 2025-0514 | Settlement | Paez | 2026 | $19K → $4K |
| WEVA 2026-0103 | Settlement | Paez | 2026 | $15K → $3K |
| WEVA 2026-0180 | Decision pending |
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
MSHA sampling at MINE NO. 44 shows 100% of 2,568 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: 2026-08-19
ⓘ
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.100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
2,568
samples
2.40
dust max (mg/m3)
8
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.307 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 2,261 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
- CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR803
- SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)776
- ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)632
Silica (quartz)
Last sampled: 2026-05-045.5
silica avg (%)
143
samples
20.3
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
- CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR46
- ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)45
- SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)36
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: 2026-04-20
ⓘ
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.4%
over PEL
114
samples
Most-sampled occupations
- SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)30
- CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR22
- ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)21
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 100% | 553 |
| 2025 | 100% | 781 |
| 2024 | 100% | 862 |
| 2023 | 99% | 364 |
| 2022 | 100% | 8 |
Silica (quartz) by year
| Year | silica avg (%) | samples |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5.2 | 23 |
| 2025 | 4.0 | 47 |
| 2024 | 6.7 | 53 |
| 2023 | 6.0 | 20 |
Noise by year
| Year | over PEL | samples |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0% | 25 |
| 2025 | 0% | 15 |
| 2024 | 7% | 43 |
| 2023 | 4% | 25 |
| 2022 | 0% | 6 |
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
MINE NO. 44 recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2025.
Injury rate, 2025
ⓘ
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 3.19 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 3.89 cases per 100 workers that year.
| Year | total case rate | days-away | fatal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.000 |
| 2024 | 2.92 | 0.73 | 0.000 |
| 2023 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 0.000 |
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
- XMV, Inc. 2016 to 2021
- Twin State Mining, Inc. 2021 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 119 | 156,635 |
| 2025 | 119 | 293,827 |
| 2024 | 121 | 237,341 |
| 2023 | 63 | 68,631 |
| 2022 | 7 | 6,907 |
| 2018 | 0 |
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
MINE NO. 44 sits in McDowell County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 13.0% 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.McDowell County, West Virginia · Population 18,413
13.0%
Mining share of county employment
$29,980
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Q2 | 68,203 | 46 | 4 | 674.5 |
| 2026 Q1 | 70,522 | 38 | 5 | 538.8 |
| 2025 Q4 | 65,976 | 45 | 17 | 682.1 |
| 2025 Q3 | 68,826 | 36 | 6 | 523.1 |
| 2025 Q2 | 67,060 | 43 | 6 | 641.2 |
| 2025 Q1 | 67,567 | 48 | 7 | 710.4 |
| 2024 Q4 | 62,445 | 46 | 13 | 736.6 |
| 2024 Q3 | 64,920 | 40 | 8 | 616.1 |
Show 11 earlier quarters Hide earlier quarters
| Quarter | Hours worked | Citations | S&S | Per 1M hrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Q2 | 66,598 | 39 | 8 | 585.6 |
| 2024 Q1 | 80,120 | 42 | 8 | 524.2 |
| 2023 Q4 | 44,950 | 15 | 4 | 333.7 |
| 2023 Q3 | 42,510 | 14 | 1 | 329.3 |
| 2023 Q2 | 40,007 | 25 | 4 | 624.9 |
| 2023 Q1 | 6,029 | 8 | 1 | 1326.9 |
| 2022 Q4 | 1,470 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2022 Q3 | 2,849 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2022 Q2 | 10,129 | 6 | 2 | 592.4 |
| 2022 Q1 | 244 | 5 | 0 | 20491.8 |
| 2018 Q1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
6 on file2026 · 1 incident
2024 · 4 incidents
June 3, 2024
WV · Coal
laborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scaler
DISORDERS (REPEATED TRAUMA)
Twin State Mining, Inc. · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)
Employee began missing work because of right shoulder pain, it was later determined this was because of Bursitis that had developed over time.
February 4, 2024
WV · Coal
roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs)
FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Twin State Mining, Inc. · Struck by falling object
Employee was operating a roof bolter in the #5 entry, putting up straps. As employee was tightening a bolt in the strap a piece of rock (12" X 12" x 3") was dislodged and struck the employee in the left hand causing a laceration near the knuckle for the index finger. Employee received stitches to close the wound.
January 19, 2024
WV · Coal
scoop car/scooptram operator, load/haul/dump (lhd) operator, teletram operator
ALL OTHER OCCUPATIONAL ILLNESSES
Twin State Mining, Inc. · (Not Elsewhere Classified)
The employee felt pain in left knee, employee had been changing plugs to a scoop battery, but employee not sure what caused the pain.
January 5, 2024
WV · Coal
laborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scaler
HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Twin State Mining, Inc. · Over-exertion in lifting objects
Employee was shoveling at break 2 on the No. 1 belt when EE felt pain in neck and right shoulder. Cat scan showed spondylosis in EE's neck and that there was no new damage to the neck.
2023 · 1 incident
June 7, 2023
WV · Coal
examiner, fire boss, pre-shift examiner, mine examiner
SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Twin State Mining, Inc. · Fall onto or against objects
Employee was walking along the #1 Belt on the offside, when the employee slipped on the wet uneven bottom striking right shoulder on a 6" waterline. Employee began missing on 7/28/2023 because of this injury.