Mining Incidents

Mountaineer Surface Mine No 1: 34 MSHA citations Coal

Asset Mining LLC · Surface
Controlled by Parkstone Energy LLC
Whitesville, Boone County, WV  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 4608826

Mountaineer Surface Mine No 1 has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
2001
Latest incident
May 2001
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
34
citations
27
significant & substantial
$4,548
proposed penalties
$4,548
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
11
inspections on record
223
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: 223 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Mountaineer Surface Mine No 1 has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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.
$5K
proposed penalties
$5K
current assessed
$5K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
34 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2002-03-05.
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.
79.4%
significant & substantial
5.9%
high negligence or reckless
79.4%
reasonably likely or greater
0.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 2.9% low, 91.2% moderate, 5.9% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Mountaineer Surface Mine No 1 shows 97% of 35 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: 2002-02-28, 24 years ago
97%
within 1.5 mg/m3
35
samples
1.85
dust max (mg/m3)
22 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 13 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR18
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR3
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER3

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2002-02-20, 24 years ago
38.0
silica avg (%)
4
samples
49.3
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER 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: 2001-09-20, 24 years ago
0%
over PEL
5
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR2
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER1
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR1
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
2002 100% 12
2001 95% 19
2000 100% 4
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2002 30.6 1
2001 40.5 3
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Mountaineer Surface Mine No 1 recorded 2.48 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2001.

Injury rate, 2001
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.
2.48
total case rate
2.48
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 6.94 and the all-US-mining average was 5.26 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 8.13 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
  1. Hanover Resources LLC 2000 to 2008
  2. Asset Mining LLC 2008 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)
2003 0
2002 8 52,097
2001 30 464,755
2000 14 136,382
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Mountaineer Surface Mine No 1 sits in Boone County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 10.1% 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.
Boone County, West Virginia · Population 21,312
10.1%
Mining share of county employment
$56,152
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
2003 Q4 0 0 0
2002 Q4 0 0 0
2002 Q3 0 0 0
2002 Q2 3,264 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 11,170 1 1 89.5
2001 Q4 17,226 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 22,160 9 7 406.1
2001 Q2 20,419 0 0 0.0
Show 4 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2001 Q1 20,990 5 5 238.2
2000 Q4 16,469 0 0 0.0
2000 Q3 5,299 12 9 2264.6
2000 Q2 775 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2001 · 1 incident

May 30, 2001 WV · Coal backhoe operator, trackhoe operator, crane operator POWERED HAULAGE
Hanover Resources LLC · Struck against a moving object

EMPLOYEE STATED THAT HE WAS DUMPING HIS LOAD AT THE DUMP AREA WHEN THE BED OF TRUCK STARTED DOWN IT JARRED HIM IN THE SEAT CAUSING PAIN IN HIS GROIN AREA.