Mountainside Wash Plant has $14K in proposed MSHA penalties and $290 outstanding across 7 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
6
Years on record
2011–2016
Latest incident
May 2016
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2008
115
citations
38
significant & substantial
$14,469
proposed penalties
$13,996
paid to date
97% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $473 gap.
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.
115 citations across 1,653 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Mountainside Wash Plant has $14K in proposed MSHA penalties and $290 outstanding across 7 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.
$14K
proposed penalties
$14K
current assessed
$14K
paid to date
$290
outstanding
114 assessments are final orders; 7 contested dockets.
Of $1K in penalties contested before the Commission, $1K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2024-01-29.
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.
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.
9citations taken to the federal commission · 8% of citations on record
Settled
8 · 89%
Vacated or withdrawn
1 · 11%
100%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 5 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
20%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$1K proposed, $1K 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 2015-11-12.
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.
MSHA sampling at Mountainside Wash Plant shows 100% of 77 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: 2023-03-01, 3 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
77
samples
1.48
dust max (mg/m3)
0
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.
63 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 14 by the operator.
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.
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.
Mountainside Wash Plant recorded 6.27 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2016.
Injury rate, 2016
ⓘ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.
6.27
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.79 and the all-US-mining average was 2.59 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.56 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.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2016 *
6.27
0.00
0.000
2015 *
9.47
6.32
0.000
2014 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
* Fewer than 100,000 employee-hours that year; the rate is less stable.
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.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year
Employees
2024
0
2023
5
2022
11
2021
4
2020
6
2019
7
2018
0
2017
0
2016
17
2015
28
2014
15
2013
6
2012
5
2011
6
2010
6
2009
5
2008
0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Mountainside Wash Plant sits in Knox County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 2.8% 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.
Knox County, Kentucky · Population 30,034
2.8%
Mining share of county employment
$33,153
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
2024 Q2
0
0
0
2023 Q4
0
0
0
2023 Q3
0
1
0
2023 Q2
2,321
0
0
0.0
2023 Q1
3,861
0
0
0.0
2022 Q4
7,117
0
0
0.0
2021 Q4
1,320
0
0
0.0
2021 Q3
1,399
0
0
0.0
Show 51 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2021 Q2
1,380
0
0
0.0
2021 Q1
1,620
0
0
0.0
2020 Q4
1,620
0
0
0.0
2020 Q3
1,620
0
0
0.0
2020 Q2
3,132
0
0
0.0
2020 Q1
3,132
0
0
0.0
2019 Q4
3,132
0
0
0.0
2019 Q3
3,840
0
0
0.0
2019 Q2
3,840
0
0
0.0
2019 Q1
5,990
0
0
0.0
2018 Q4
0
0
0
2018 Q3
0
0
0
2018 Q2
0
0
0
2018 Q1
0
0
0
2017 Q4
0
0
0
2017 Q3
0
0
0
2017 Q2
0
0
0
2017 Q1
80
4
0
50000.0
2016 Q4
160
0
0
0.0
2016 Q3
4,402
0
0
0.0
2016 Q2
12,430
2
0
160.9
2016 Q1
14,899
2
1
134.2
2015 Q4
14,225
2
0
140.6
2015 Q3
16,942
4
0
236.1
2015 Q2
15,496
1
0
64.5
2015 Q1
16,662
12
4
720.2
2014 Q4
12,514
0
0
0.0
2014 Q3
7,707
7
1
908.3
2014 Q2
10,860
8
1
736.6
2014 Q1
6,211
1
0
161.0
2013 Q4
4,739
12
5
2532.2
2013 Q3
2,696
0
0
0.0
2013 Q2
2,941
1
1
340.0
2013 Q1
2,851
3
0
1052.3
2012 Q4
2,942
0
0
0.0
2012 Q3
2,828
0
0
0.0
2012 Q2
2,926
2
2
683.5
2012 Q1
2,872
0
0
0.0
2011 Q4
3,394
1
0
294.6
2011 Q3
4,518
3
0
664.0
2011 Q2
2,531
0
0
0.0
2011 Q1
3,241
0
0
0.0
2010 Q4
3,834
1
1
260.8
2010 Q3
1,871
7
4
3741.3
2010 Q2
2,770
0
0
0.0
2010 Q1
3,983
0
0
0.0
2009 Q4
2,388
4
2
1675.0
2009 Q3
3,121
0
0
0.0
2009 Q2
3,987
1
0
250.8
2009 Q1
2,738
1
0
365.2
2008 Q4
0
2
0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
6 on file
2016 · 1 incident
May 24, 2016KY · Coalquality control technician, laboratory technician, laboratory assistantHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Employee stepped up onto the push arm of the D65PX-17 Dozer and his muddy boot slipped off of the step and since he was holding onto the grab iron, (handhold), it spun him around straining his back
At approximately 2:30 a.m. on 06/04/2015, employee drove the vehicle to the upper plant gate and as he was locking the gate, he noticed that the vehicle was rolling and as he ran to catch it, he fell injuring his neck and lacerating his forehead.
The packing slip had been removed from a palletized box and in order to ascertain the contents of the box, EE slid the box around and strained his lower back
2014 · 1 incident
November 24, 2014KY · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanPOWERED HAULAGE
The injured laborer was stabilizing a top perlin across the basket of the man lift which was being operated by another contractor and his arm became trapped between the new building structure and the man lift basket resulting in broken Radius and Ulna bones of the lower left forearm.
2011 · 1 incident
October 5, 2011KY · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Employee was prying on a block of coal in the hopper, employees hand slipped off of the pry bar hitting the corner of the hopper resulting in lacerating his right finger, where he received four stitches.
Related mines
Other mines operated by Mountainside Coal Company Inc