No. 1 Surface Mine has $97K in proposed MSHA penalties and $11K outstanding across 15 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
16
Years on record
2005–2011
Latest incident
Jul 2011
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2004
173
citations
35
significant & substantial
$96,933
proposed penalties
$66,560
paid to date
69% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $30,373 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.
173 citations across 1,259 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
No. 1 Surface Mine has $97K in proposed MSHA penalties and $11K outstanding across 15 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.
$97K
proposed penalties
$77K
current assessed
$67K
paid to date
$11K
outstanding
171 assessments are final orders; 15 contested dockets.
Of $73K in penalties contested before the Commission, $52K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2014-06-24.
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.
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.
56citations taken to the federal commission · 32% of citations on record
Settled
47 · 84%
Stood as issued
9 · 16%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 20 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
28%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$73K proposed, $52K 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 2014-09-02.
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 No. 1 Surface Mine shows 100% of 111 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: 2011-10-18, 14 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
111
samples
1.21
dust max (mg/m3)
76 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 35 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.
No. 1 Surface Mine recorded 11.25 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2011.
Injury rate, 2011
ⓘ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.
11.25
total case rate
11.25
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.83 and the all-US-mining average was 3.08 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.28 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
2011 *
11.25
11.25
0.000
2010 *
9.00
4.50
0.000
2009 *
2.67
2.67
0.000
2008
3.91
1.95
0.000
2006 *
8.56
4.28
0.000
2005 *
2.36
0.00
0.000
2004 *
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
ⓘCoal production is reported quarterly and lags the current period; the most recent quarters may be incomplete.
Year
Employees
Coal produced (tons)
2020
5
2019
5
2018
0
2016
0
2015
0
2014
5
2013
2
2012
4
1,817
2011
20
46,054
2010
17
54,439
2009
27
209,836
2008
35
200,908
2007
17
52,926
2006
18
204,531
2005
32
188,215
2004
13
116,512
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
No. 1 Surface Mine sits in Harlan County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 4.3% 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.
Harlan County, Kentucky · Population 26,185
4.3%
Mining share of county employment
$37,198
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 Q2
1,177
0
0
0.0
2020 Q1
2,206
0
0
0.0
2019 Q4
2,593
0
0
0.0
2019 Q3
2,593
0
0
0.0
2019 Q2
2,588
0
0
0.0
2019 Q1
2,581
0
0
0.0
2018 Q4
0
0
0
2018 Q3
0
0
0
Show 48 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2018 Q2
0
0
0
2018 Q1
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
477
0
0
0.0
2015 Q1
0
0
0
2014 Q4
1,431
0
0
0.0
2014 Q3
2,205
0
0
0.0
2013 Q4
720
0
0
0.0
2013 Q2
245
0
0
0.0
2013 Q1
288
0
0
0.0
2012 Q4
1,982
0
0
0.0
2012 Q3
1,741
0
0
0.0
2012 Q2
1,449
0
0
0.0
2012 Q1
2,069
0
0
0.0
2011 Q4
9,187
7
5
761.9
2011 Q3
17,960
0
0
0.0
2011 Q2
18,832
14
2
743.4
2011 Q1
7,356
0
0
0.0
2010 Q4
3,375
0
0
0.0
2010 Q3
6,221
0
0
0.0
2010 Q2
18,325
11
1
600.3
2010 Q1
16,524
0
0
0.0
2009 Q4
16,282
9
3
552.8
2009 Q3
14,540
22
0
1513.1
2009 Q2
21,002
5
2
238.1
2009 Q1
23,002
0
0
0.0
2008 Q4
32,274
11
3
340.8
2008 Q3
31,382
7
4
223.1
2008 Q2
25,748
18
3
699.1
2008 Q1
12,906
0
0
0.0
2007 Q4
11,899
10
2
840.4
2007 Q3
7,127
10
0
1403.1
2007 Q1
9,586
5
0
521.6
2006 Q4
11,288
0
0
0.0
2006 Q3
13,810
5
2
362.1
2006 Q2
11,546
0
0
0.0
2006 Q1
10,103
2
0
198.0
2005 Q4
33,378
0
0
0.0
2005 Q3
32,066
0
0
0.0
2005 Q2
9,757
3
1
307.5
2005 Q1
9,711
1
0
103.0
2004 Q4
9,254
0
0
0.0
2004 Q3
8,530
3
0
351.7
2004 Q2
8,234
0
0
0.0
2004 Q1
7,132
5
1
701.1
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
16 on file
2011 · 3 incidents
July 27, 2011KY · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Liggett Mining LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Replacing final drive on JD 200 CLC excavator using crane truck to lift tracks. EE had put his hand on sprocket while installing it the chain slipped and caught his hand between the sprocket and track.
April 4, 2011KY · Coalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
EE was attempting to get on the 992D loader. He had one foot one the loader step and one foot on the ground, when his foot that was on the ground slipped, causing him to fall and land on his back.
EE had been working on the 16G Cat Grader, when he was finished and was climbing down the ladder he slipped off of the steps and landed on his left shoulder.
2010 · 2 incidents
July 19, 2010KY · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS
As EE was finished repairing a water truck, he was adjusting the side mirror to back the truck out of the garage area and the mirror broke and a piece of glass cut his left wrist. He was treated at the job site, finished his shift and then received medical attention after his shift. He received 4 stitches and was released to return to work.
April 14, 2010KY · Coalhaul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driverHANDLING OF MATERIALS
EE stated that he injured his back as he was climbing down the ladder of the 777 as he was exiting the truck at he end of his shift. He stated that he was OK and refused medical treatment. He worked his shift the next day and then did not return to work. He consulted a Dr on April 17th and has not returned at this time.
Driver was driving tandem coal truck from underground mine to prep plant on the normal haul road, when he got too close to the ditch in a curve and started spinning in the mud on the side of the road and slid into the ditch, causing the truck to lay on its side. The driver hit his head on something inside the cab, giving it a small cut.
June 26, 2009KY · Coalcoal/ore shovel operator, shoveler, power shovelerMACHINERY
Employee was loading a truck when dust and fine pieces of rock came back on him hitting him in his right eye. His right eye lid was bruised but no apparent damage to his right eye.
THE WATER TRUCK DRIVER WAS TAKING A LOAD OF WATER TO THE STRIP MINE ROAD WHEN HE CAME DOWN A HILL TOO FAST AND RAN INTO A SMALL STOCKPILE OF GRAVEL. HE THEN BACKED UP AND CONTINUED ON TO PUT THE LOAD OF WATER ON THE ROAD.
EE stated that he was pulling a service hose from the reel of the service truck when he felt pain in his lower back. EE went home and consulted a Dr. who odered x-rays which were nega- tive. The Dr ordered an MRI and EE is currently losing time.
June 22, 2006KY · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Employee was working on a hose clamp when it broke and cut his hand. He was transported to the hospital and received three stitches to his hand. He returned to work and has not lost any time.
2005 · 2 incidents
April 30, 2005KY · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Employee was walking to his service truck and apparently blacked out. He stated that he did not remember falling and did not trip. He was transported to the hospital where he received 3 stitches to his lip. He returned to work 5/2/05 his next scheduled shift.