Mining Incidents

No 1 Washer: 153 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by Charles D Mullins
Appalachia, Wise County, VA  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 4407029

No 1 Washer has $40K in proposed MSHA penalties and $638 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
4
Years on record
2002–2007
Latest incident
Feb 2007
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2002
153
citations
103
significant & substantial
$39,615
proposed penalties
$38,977
paid to date
98% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $638 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2001
44
inspections on record
711
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: 711 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

No 1 Washer has $40K in proposed MSHA penalties and $638 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.
$40K
proposed penalties
$40K
current assessed
$39K
paid to date
$638
outstanding
151 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2008-03-20.
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.
67.3%
significant & substantial
5.3%
high negligence or reckless
67.8%
reasonably likely or greater
40.8%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 5.3% low, 89.5% moderate, 5.3% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at No 1 Washer shows 100% of 47 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: 2008-05-01, 18 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
47
samples
1.04
dust max (mg/m3)
47 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER14
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE10
  • WASHER OPERATOR8

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: 2008-05-01, 18 years ago
0%
over PEL
21
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER6
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE4
  • WASHER OPERATOR4
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 100% 7
2007 100% 8
2006 100% 7
2005 100% 8
2004 100% 4
2003 100% 8
2002 100% 5
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2008 0% 2
2007 0% 3
2006 0% 4
2004 0% 3
2003 0% 6
2002 0% 3
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

No 1 Washer recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2007.

Injury rate, 2007
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 4.71 and the all-US-mining average was 3.77 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 4.66 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. Commonwealth Mining Corp 2001 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2009 2
2008 5
2007 9
2006 7
2005 5
2004 3
2003 5
2002 6
2001 5
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

No 1 Washer sits in Wise County, Virginia, where the Census mining category is 5.9% 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.
Wise County, Virginia · Population 35,727
5.9%
Mining share of county employment
$50,740
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 960 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 2,173 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 2,207 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 3,088 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 3,731 5 2 1340.1
2007 Q4 4,490 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 4,558 2 0 438.8
Show 24 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2007 Q2 5,575 13 9 2331.8
2007 Q1 6,857 18 17 2625.1
2006 Q4 5,389 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 5,695 6 3 1053.6
2006 Q2 3,263 5 4 1532.3
2006 Q1 2,766 6 4 2169.2
2005 Q4 3,523 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 3,103 2 2 644.5
2005 Q2 3,638 4 3 1099.5
2005 Q1 2,195 1 1 455.6
2004 Q4 1,345 12 9 8921.9
2004 Q3 1,407 7 4 4975.1
2004 Q2 2,028 8 4 3944.8
2004 Q1 2,835 2 2 705.5
2003 Q4 2,905 10 6 3442.3
2003 Q3 3,737 3 0 802.8
2003 Q2 1,922 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 3,262 4 3 1226.2
2002 Q4 3,988 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 3,397 7 7 2060.6
2002 Q2 3,520 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 4,323 5 5 1156.6
2001 Q4 2,165 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 3,288 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

4 on file

2007 · 2 incidents

February 9, 2007 VA · Coal POWERED HAULAGE
Commonwealth Mining Corp · Accident type, without injuries

Denny & Sons (L379) was in the process of unloading his truck when the weight shifted because of the coal being frozen to the bed of the trailer. As the weight shifted it caused the trailer to give and the result was the trailer falling onto its left side. The truck was sitting in a level area when the trailer shifted. No injuries as a result of this accident.

February 8, 2007 VA · Coal POWERED HAULAGE
Commonwealth Mining Corp · Accident type, without injuries

Jerry Minor Trucking (BA7) was in the process of unloading his loaded truck when the weight shifted because of the coal being frozen to the bed of the trailer. As the weight shifted it caused the trailer to give and the result was trailer falling onto its right side. The truck was sitting in a level area when the trailer shifted. No injuries as a result of this accident.

2004 · 1 incident

June 11, 2004 VA · Coal prep plant foreman, supervisor, mill plant supervisor, kiln supervisor MACHINERY
Commonwealth Mining Corp · Absorption of radiations, caustics, toxic and noxious substances

EE WAS WORKING ON PROCESSING COAL. A HOSE CAME LOOSE, SPRAYING CHEMICAL ONTO HIS FACE.

2002 · 1 incident

October 11, 2002 VA · Coal beltman, conveyor man, conveyor belt worker, mobile bridge carrierman, feeder operator, conveyor rider SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Commonwealth Mining Corp · Fall to the walkway or working surface

EE WAS RETURNING FROM PORTABLE TOILET USING THE FORBIDDEN FOOTPATH WHEN HE LOST HIS BALANCE FELLFELL BACKWARD -HURT BACK-