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.
622 citations across 6,490 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
No. 5 has $153K in proposed MSHA penalties and $1K outstanding across 13 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.
$153K
proposed penalties
$139K
current assessed
$138K
paid to date
$1K
outstanding
614 assessments are final orders; 13 contested dockets.
Of $38K in penalties contested before the Commission, $24K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2018-01-25.
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.
66citations taken to the federal commission · 11% of citations on record
Settled
49 · 74%
Stood as issued
16 · 24%
Vacated or withdrawn
1 · 2%
95%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 22 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
42%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$42K proposed, $24K 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 A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record.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 2016-11-21.
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. 5 shows 98% of 959 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: 2018-02-21, 8 years ago
98%
within 1.5 mg/m3
959
samples
3.69
dust max (mg/m3)
0
over MSHA ECV
ⓘThe excessive concentration value (ECV) is MSHA's own per-sample enforcement threshold, which builds in measurement uncertainty; a sample over its ECV can trigger a citation. The count covers only samples MSHA assigned an ECV.
321 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 638 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. 5 recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2016.
Injury rate, 2016
ⓘ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 3.79 and the all-US-mining average was 2.59 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 4.14 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
2016 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2015 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2013 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2012 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2009 *
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)
2026
0
2025
0
2024
0
2023
0
2022
0
2021
0
2020
0
2019
0
2018
2
4,440
2017
8
15,713
2016
14
32,400
2015
11
35,855
2014
11
28,209
2013
11
43,412
2012
11
40,880
2011
11
39,774
2010
12
37,352
2009
13
39,049
2008
10
26,061
2007
11
39,703
2006
5
3,792
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
No. 5 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
2026 Q1
0
0
0
2025 Q4
0
0
0
2025 Q3
0
0
0
2025 Q2
0
0
0
2025 Q1
0
0
0
2024 Q3
0
0
0
2024 Q2
0
0
0
2024 Q1
0
0
0
Show 68 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2023 Q4
0
0
0
2023 Q3
0
0
0
2023 Q2
0
0
0
2023 Q1
0
0
0
2022 Q4
0
0
0
2022 Q3
0
0
0
2022 Q1
0
0
0
2021 Q4
0
0
0
2021 Q3
0
0
0
2021 Q2
0
0
0
2021 Q1
0
0
0
2020 Q4
0
0
0
2020 Q3
0
0
0
2020 Q2
0
0
0
2019 Q4
0
0
0
2019 Q3
0
0
0
2019 Q2
0
0
0
2019 Q1
0
0
0
2018 Q4
0
0
0
2018 Q3
0
0
0
2018 Q2
0
0
0
2018 Q1
2,738
2
0
730.5
2017 Q4
3,366
3
0
891.3
2017 Q3
2,895
8
2
2763.4
2017 Q2
3,283
7
3
2132.2
2017 Q1
2,379
16
4
6725.5
2016 Q4
6,232
25
2
4011.6
2016 Q3
6,109
4
0
654.8
2016 Q2
6,160
11
3
1785.7
2016 Q1
4,819
7
1
1452.6
2015 Q4
5,828
8
1
1372.7
2015 Q3
5,661
1
0
176.6
2015 Q2
4,411
3
1
680.1
2015 Q1
4,938
6
2
1215.1
2014 Q4
4,647
6
1
1291.2
2014 Q3
10,114
8
1
791.0
2014 Q2
5,407
7
1
1294.6
2013 Q4
5,007
12
1
2396.6
2013 Q3
7,322
19
0
2594.9
2013 Q2
5,415
21
3
3878.1
2013 Q1
4,955
18
2
3632.7
2012 Q4
5,698
10
3
1755.0
2012 Q3
6,854
14
2
2042.6
2012 Q2
4,979
9
1
1807.6
2012 Q1
5,843
22
5
3765.2
2011 Q4
4,173
10
2
2396.4
2011 Q3
5,167
8
4
1548.3
2011 Q2
5,468
15
3
2743.2
2011 Q1
4,848
16
5
3300.3
2010 Q4
5,471
8
5
1462.3
2010 Q3
4,584
6
2
1308.9
2010 Q2
5,204
13
4
2498.1
2010 Q1
4,626
12
5
2594.0
2009 Q4
5,606
12
1
2140.6
2009 Q3
5,345
16
6
2993.5
2009 Q2
6,336
24
5
3787.9
2009 Q1
6,788
27
5
3977.6
2008 Q4
4,541
8
2
1761.7
2008 Q3
3,182
15
3
4714.0
2008 Q2
4,870
17
3
3490.8
2008 Q1
3,608
23
11
6374.7
2007 Q4
5,898
20
3
3391.0
2007 Q3
3,711
13
3
3503.1
2007 Q2
2,917
16
6
5485.1
2007 Q1
3,593
10
1
2783.2
2006 Q4
4,816
15
5
3114.6
2006 Q3
1,597
0
0
0.0
2006 Q2
0
0
0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
3 on file
2014 · 1 incident
July 15, 2014VA · Coalshuttle car operator, mantrip operator, ramcar operator, rail runner, buggy operatorPOWERED HAULAGE
Employee was operating a 21SC shuttle car when he hit a hole in the bottom (mine floor) causing him to bounce in the operator's seat causing injury to his lower back and tail bone.
2010 · 1 incident
March 10, 2010VA · Coalroof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs)MACHINERY
DaCoal Mining, Inc. · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
EE was installing roof bolts when his glove (leather) was caught between the head (drill) and pinner steel dislocating the thumb on his right hand.
A roof fall occurred in the #4 entry crosscut (break). The fall measured approximately 30' in length, 10' in width and 48" to 60" in thickness covering up our Fletcher single head roof bolter.