Mining Incidents

Mule Hollow Surface Mine: 44 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by Metinvest B V
Big Rock, Buchanan County, VA  ·  Temporarily Idled
MSHA Mine ID: 4407219

Mule Hollow Surface Mine has $14K in proposed MSHA penalties and $2K 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
2008
Latest incident
Apr 2008
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2008
44
citations
16
significant & substantial
$13,589
proposed penalties
$11,551
paid to date
85% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $2,038 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2008
33
inspections on record
409
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: 409 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Mule Hollow Surface Mine has $14K in proposed MSHA penalties and $2K 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.
$14K
proposed penalties
$14K
current assessed
$12K
paid to date
$2K
outstanding
44 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2011-05-24.
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.
36.4%
significant & substantial
2.3%
high negligence or reckless
36.4%
reasonably likely or greater
0.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 22.7% low, 75.0% moderate, 2.3% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Mule Hollow Surface Mine shows 100% of 19 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: 2010-01-21, 16 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
19
samples
0.55
dust max (mg/m3)
19 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER8
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR4
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR3

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2009-09-29, 16 years ago
11.6
silica avg (%)
6
samples
21.9
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR6

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: 2010-01-21, 16 years ago
0%
over PEL
15
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER6
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR3
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE3
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
2010 100% 4
2009 100% 10
2008 100% 5
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2009 13.2 3
2008 10.0 3
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2010 0% 5
2009 0% 5
2008 0% 5
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Mule Hollow Surface Mine recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2009.

Injury rate, 2009
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
No reportable injury cases in any year shown. Employee-hours were reported in each of those years, so these are true zeros rather than missing data. Citations, listed in the compliance record above, are inspector-found violations and are counted separately from worker injuries.
Below average. The US coal mining average was 4.16 and the all-US-mining average was 3.36 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 4.22 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. Surface Minerals Company 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)
2020 0
2019 0
2018 0
2017 0
2016 0
2015 0
2014 0
2013 0
2012 1
2011 3
2010 7 14,363
2009 20 68,910
2008 12 42,231
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Mule Hollow Surface Mine 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
2020 Q4 0 0 0
2020 Q3 0 0 0
2020 Q2 0 0 0
2020 Q1 0 0 0
2019 Q4 0 0 0
2019 Q3 0 0 0
2019 Q2 0 0 0
2019 Q1 0 0 0
Show 42 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
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 0 0 0
2016 Q4 0 0 0
2016 Q3 0 0 0
2016 Q2 0 0 0
2016 Q1 0 0 0
2015 Q4 0 0 0
2015 Q3 0 0 0
2015 Q2 0 0 0
2015 Q1 0 0 0
2014 Q4 0 0 0
2014 Q3 0 0 0
2014 Q2 0 0 0
2014 Q1 0 0 0
2013 Q4 0 0 0
2013 Q3 0 0 0
2013 Q2 0 0 0
2013 Q1 0 0 0
2012 Q4 0 0 0
2012 Q3 0 0 0
2012 Q2 0 0 0
2012 Q1 2,323 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 1,281 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 2,112 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 2,043 1 0 489.5
2011 Q1 1,605 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 1,556 2 0 1285.3
2010 Q3 2,015 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 12,588 6 0 476.6
2009 Q4 12,606 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 12,195 2 0 164.0
2009 Q2 11,081 1 0 90.2
2009 Q1 10,702 8 4 747.5
2008 Q4 9,738 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 6,455 3 2 464.8
2008 Q2 3,498 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2008 · 1 incident

April 23, 2008 VA · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Surface Minerals Company · Struck by falling object

During Tree cutting operation for a spoil fill area in advance of mining operation. An employee received multible non-fatal injuries when another employee felled a tree. Then the tree struck the injured employee who was working down slope of the felled tree.