Mining Incidents

No 2: 135 MSHA citations Coal

P.B. Dirtmovers · Underground
Controlled by Robin Roy Belcher
Hurley, Buchanan County, VA  ·  Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 4407003

No 2 has $10K in proposed MSHA penalties and $6K outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
3
Years on record
2001–2005
Latest incident
Jan 2005
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
135
citations
54
significant & substantial
$9,514
proposed penalties
$3,986
paid to date
42% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $5,528 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
73
inspections on record
1,432
inspection hours
9.4
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.
135 citations across 1,432 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

No 2 has $10K in proposed MSHA penalties and $6K 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.
$10K
proposed penalties
$10K
current assessed
$4K
paid to date
$6K
outstanding
135 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2005-09-01.
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.
40.0%
significant & substantial
0.7%
high negligence or reckless
40.0%
reasonably likely or greater
0.7%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 3.7% low, 95.6% moderate, 0.7% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at No 2 shows 95% of 162 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: 2005-04-27, 21 years ago
95%
within 1.5 mg/m3
162
samples
5.95
dust max (mg/m3)
73 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 89 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR87
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)14
  • ROOF BOLTER (SINGLE HEAD)11

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2004-12-09, 21 years ago
5.6
silica avg (%)
22
samples
10.3
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR10

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: 2004-09-13, 21 years ago
11%
over PEL
18
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • ROOF BOLTER (SINGLE HEAD)5
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR3
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)3
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
2005 86% 21
2004 100% 30
2003 100% 19
2002 92% 13
2001 95% 74
2000 100% 5
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2004 3.2 2
2003 7.4 4
2002 7.1 1
2001 5.3 15
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2004 0% 5
2001 15% 13
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

No 2 recorded 7.51 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2001.

Injury rate, 2001
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.
7.51
total case rate
7.51
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 6.94 and the all-US-mining average was 5.26 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 8.22 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. Matney Construction Company Inc 2000 to 2000
  2. P M C Coal Company Inc 2000 to 2002
  3. Clintwood Elkhorn Mining, Inc. 2002 to 2002
  4. B.C. & C. Coal, Inc. 2002 to 2003
  5. Sassy Coal Co, Inc. 2003 to 2003
  6. L J Contracting, LLC 2003 to 2004
  7. DACOAL Mining, Inc. 2004 to 2009
  8. P.B. Dirtmovers 2009 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)
2005 6 10,699
2004 9 16,391
2002 6 15,143
2001 18 54,997
2000 8 4,051
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

No 2 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
2005 Q2 3,686 11 5 2984.3
2005 Q1 1,710 12 6 7017.5
2004 Q4 4,327 20 8 4622.1
2004 Q3 2,729 7 2 2565.0
2002 Q4 1,290 12 6 9302.3
2002 Q3 0 0 0
2002 Q2 0 0 0
2002 Q1 5,699 8 1 1403.8
Show 5 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2001 Q4 6,792 5 3 736.2
2001 Q3 6,021 17 9 2823.5
2001 Q2 7,690 13 5 1690.5
2001 Q1 6,123 4 2 653.3
2000 Q4 2,327 3 1 1289.2
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

3 on file

2005 · 1 incident

January 14, 2005 VA · Coal discontinued 1/31/2014. several other codes cover scoop car operator FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
DACOAL Mining, Inc. · Struck by falling object

Piece of draw rock size unknown fell from between roof bolts off appro. 80' outby working in 3! heading striking ee on his left side.

2001 · 2 incidents

August 16, 2001 VA · Coal truck driver OTHER
P M C Coal Company Inc · Unclassified, insufficient data

UNKNOWN: DRIVER HAS TOLD SEVERAL DIFFERENT STORIES, BUT EVIDENCE INDICATES HE DROVE OUT OF ROAD