Mining Incidents
Search Operators Mines Alerts Research Controllers Fatalgrams About
English Español
← Back to search

Nicholas Mine: 16 MSHA citations Coal

Reed Minerals Inc · Surface
Controlled by NACCO Industries Inc
Oakman, Walker County, AL  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 0103319

Nicholas Mine has $1K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

Watch this mine

Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at Nicholas Mine.

Fatalities
0
Total incidents
5
Years on record
2006–2007
Latest incident
Dec 2007
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2005
16
citations
1
significant & substantial
$1,057
proposed penalties
$1,057
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Reed Minerals Inc's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2005
19
inspections on record
270
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: 270 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Nicholas Mine has $1K 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.
$1K
proposed penalties
$1K
current assessed
$1K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
15 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2007-01-17.
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.
6.7%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
6.7%
reasonably likely or greater
0.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 20.0% low, 80.0% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Nicholas Mine shows 97% of 58 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: 2008-08-29, 17 years ago
97%
within 1.5 mg/m3
58
samples
4.43
dust max (mg/m3)
54 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 4 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR19
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE12
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR10

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2008-03-17, 18 years ago
9.7
silica avg (%)
3
samples
15.1
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR1
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR1
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR1
See US coal mines ranked by silica in their dust samples.

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: 2008-02-07, 18 years ago
18%
over PEL
28
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR7
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE7
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR5
See US mines ranked by noise samples over the legal limit.
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
2008 95% 20
2007 95% 21
2006 100% 10
2005 100% 7
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2008 12.7 1
2007 8.2 2
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2008 67% 6
2007 14% 7
2006 0% 8
2005 0% 7
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Nicholas Mine recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2008.

Injury rate, 2008
ⓘ 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 4.41 and the all-US-mining average was 3.61 cases per 100 workers.
In Alabama, coal mining averaged 5.51 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
2008 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2007 * 2.72 2.72 0.000
2006 * 7.30 7.30 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.
Ownership history
  1. Reed Mining, Inc. 2005 to 2007
  2. Reed Minerals Inc 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)
2009 0
2008 13 38,918
2007 31 53,509
2006 32 207,409
2005 20 88,765
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Nicholas Mine sits in Walker County, Alabama, where the Census mining category is 3.3% 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.
Walker County, Alabama · Population 64,886
3.3%
Mining share of county employment
$54,509
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
2009 Q2 0 0 0
2009 Q1 0 0 0
2008 Q4 3,775 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 6,057 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 11,027 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 6,328 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 29,857 1 0 33.5
2007 Q3 22,515 0 0 0.0
Show 9 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2007 Q2 0 0 0
2007 Q1 21,146 1 0 47.3
2006 Q4 21,268 2 0 94.0
2006 Q3 21,056 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 19,021 2 0 105.1
2006 Q1 20,897 4 0 191.4
2005 Q4 21,006 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 16,613 4 0 240.8
2005 Q2 1,396 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

5 on file

2007 · 2 incidents

December 19, 2007 AL · Coal EXPLOSIVES AND BREAKING AGENTS
Reed Mining, Inc. · Accident type, without injuries

While pushing overburden in the east end of the west pit, a bulldozer hit and detonated a primer. The only damage sustained was a broken lense on left corner blade light.

February 13, 2007 AL · Coal front-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operator POWERED HAULAGE
Reed Mining, Inc. · Over-exertion in pulling or pushing objects

EE stated he lowered stands on coal crusher and then attempted to pull the fifth wheel release lever. He stated the release lever was hard to pull and he felt something tear in his neck.

2006 · 3 incidents

September 12, 2006 AL · Coal haul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driver SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Reed Mining, Inc. · Fall onto or against objects

Employee claims he was walking across hood of rock truck to clean right side mirror. Because of wet weather the hood was wet and slick. The employee slipped and fell onto the hood. THE EMPLOYEE DID NOT REPORT THE UNTIL 09-25-2006, AND DID NOT BEGIN LOSING TIME UNTIL 10-05-2006.

July 5, 2006 AL · Coal front-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operator SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Reed Mining, Inc. · Fall from machine

EE was running a front end loader on a coalyard, feeding a coal crusher. When the coal crusher stopped-up, EE parked his loader and jumped to the ground, a distance of 6ft. He did not begin losing time until 7-27-06 and did not notify management that the time loss was related to the accident until August 1, 2006.