Mining Incidents

No 3: 23 MSHA citations Coal

Beech Fork Processing Inc · Underground
Controlled by James H Booth
Debord, Martin County, KY  ·  Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 1518170

No 3 has $2K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 4 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
2
Years on record
1999–2000
Latest incident
Jan 2000
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
23
citations
7
significant & substantial
$2,019
proposed penalties
$1,725
paid to date
85% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $294 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
27
inspections on record
487
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: 487 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 3 has $2K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 4 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.
$2K
proposed penalties
$2K
current assessed
$2K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
23 assessments are final orders; 4 contested dockets.
Of $2K in penalties contested before the Commission, $2K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2001-05-02.
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.
30.4%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
43.5%
reasonably likely or greater
8.7%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 17.4% low, 82.6% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
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.
Docket Decision Judge Year Proposed / upheld
WEST20000258 Settlement Hodgdon 2001 $823 → $650
PENN20010006 Settlement Barbour 2000 $528 → $470
KENT20010342 Settlement Barbour 2001 $430 → $335
KENT20010189 Settlement Schroeder 2001 $346 → $205
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at No 3 shows 87% of 84 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: 2001-04-18, 25 years ago
87%
within 1.5 mg/m3
84
samples
6.03
dust max (mg/m3)
42 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 42 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR47
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)10
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)5

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2001-04-24, 25 years ago
12.4
silica avg (%)
6
samples
22.4
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER 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: 2000-01-12, 26 years ago
40%
over PEL
5
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR1
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (INTAKE SIDE)1
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)1
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
2001 93% 28
2000 84% 56
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2001 14.0 3
2000 10.8 3
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

No 3 recorded 3.87 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2000.

Injury rate, 2000
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.
3.87
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 7.74 and the all-US-mining average was 5.64 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 8.83 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. Beech Fork Processing Inc 1999 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)
2001 16 106,070
2000 22 223,598
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

No 3 sits in Martin County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 8.0% 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.
Martin County, Kentucky · Population 11,181
8.0%
Mining share of county employment
$46,185
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
2001 Q2 7,511 7 2 932.0
2001 Q1 13,476 2 0 148.4
2000 Q4 12,068 7 1 580.0
2000 Q3 13,399 6 3 447.8
2000 Q2 13,218 1 1 75.7
2000 Q1 12,998 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

2 on file

2000 · 1 incident

January 7, 2000 KY · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Beech Fork Processing Inc · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

THE EE WAS CUTTING SPOUT OUT OF A 5 GALLON OIL BUCKET WITH A POCKET KNIFE WHEN THE KNIFE SLIPPED CUTTING HIS LEFT HAND.

1999 · 1 incident

August 2, 1999 KY · Coal shuttle car operator, mantrip operator, ramcar operator, rail runner, buggy operator HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Beech Fork Processing Inc · Over-exertion in lifting objects

EE WAS LAYING MINER CABLE AGAINST RIB WHEN HE FELT SHARP PAIN IN LOWER BACK.