Mining Incidents

No. 6: 108 MSHA citations Coal

Cliffco Enterprise, Inc. · Underground
Controlled by Cliff Bartley
Robinson Creek, Pike County, KY  ·  Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 1518411

No. 6 has $8K in proposed MSHA penalties and $4K outstanding across 3 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
3
Years on record
2002–2003
Latest incident
Mar 2003
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2001
108
citations
48
significant & substantial
$8,217
proposed penalties
$4,217
paid to date
51% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $4,000 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2001
43
inspections on record
1,090
inspection hours
9.9
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.
108 citations across 1,090 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

No. 6 has $8K in proposed MSHA penalties and $4K outstanding across 3 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.
$8K
proposed penalties
$8K
current assessed
$4K
paid to date
$4K
outstanding
106 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $4K in penalties contested before the Commission, $4K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2004-05-13.
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.
44.9%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
44.3%
reasonably likely or greater
5.7%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 17.9% low, 82.1% 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
KENT20030080 Default Barbour 2003 $1K → $1K
KENT20030079 Default Barbour 2003 $1K → $1K
KENT20030098 Default Barbour 2003 $694 → $694
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at No. 6 shows 95% of 147 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: 2004-05-19, 22 years ago
95%
within 1.5 mg/m3
147
samples
3.55
dust max (mg/m3)
68 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 79 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR79
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)16
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR8

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2003-11-17, 22 years ago
6.2
silica avg (%)
5
samples
8.3
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR5

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: 2002-12-30, 23 years ago
0%
over PEL
6
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
2004 92% 25
2003 95% 60
2002 98% 43
2001 89% 19
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2003 5.7 4
2002 8.3 1
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

No. 6 recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2003.

Injury rate, 2003
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 5.87 and the all-US-mining average was 4.43 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 6.65 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. Sheep Fork Energy Inc 2001 to 2001
  2. Diamond Star Mining, Inc. 2001 to 2002
  3. Cliffco Enterprise, Inc. 2002 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)
2004 8 38,059
2003 20 80,970
2002 11 22,825
2001 42 17,045
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

No. 6 sits in Pike County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 5.1% 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.
Pike County, Kentucky · Population 57,466
5.1%
Mining share of county employment
$42,179
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
2004 Q4 0 0 0
2004 Q3 0 0 0
2004 Q2 9,114 5 3 548.6
2004 Q1 8,017 7 2 873.1
2003 Q4 8,309 4 0 481.4
2003 Q3 11,423 9 3 787.9
2003 Q2 10,859 8 3 736.7
2003 Q1 10,098 8 5 792.2
Show 4 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2002 Q4 10,168 14 3 1376.9
2002 Q3 0 0 0
2001 Q4 3,662 14 7 3823.0
2001 Q3 13,869 6 3 432.6
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

3 on file

2003 · 1 incident

March 26, 2003 KY · Coal FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Cliffco Enterprise, Inc. · Accident type, without injuries

DURING AN EXAMINATION OF MAIN RETURN A ROOF FALLWAS DISCOVERED BY SUPERINTENDANT. A STATE INSPECTOR A HILL SEAM WAS DISCOVERED. A FALL APPROX. 20'X30'X4' AROUND SPAD #252 IT IS APPROX. 1000 TO 1500FT FROM FACE AREA. NO AIRWAY OR TRAMEL AREA WAS AFFECTED THE PLACE WAS TIMBERED AND DANGERED OFF.

2002 · 2 incidents

October 7, 2002 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech MACHINERY
Cliffco Enterprise, Inc. · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

VICTIM WAS DRILLING HOLES IN BOTTOM FOR ANCHOR PINS WHEN DRILL SLIPPED CAUSING A CUT BETWEEN INDEX FINGER & MIDDLE FINGER ON HIS RIGHT HAND. VICTIM WENT TO EMERGENCY ROOM AFTER HE WENT HOME. N O STITCHES WERE PUT IN BUT A SURGEON WAS REFERRED TO LOOK AT CUT.

February 28, 2002 KY · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Diamond Star Mining, Inc. · Struck by flying object

EE SAID HE PUT WRENCH ON BOLTER, DID NOT SECURE WRENCH & IT FLIPPED & HIT EYEBROW AREA. HE CONTINUED TO WORK ADDITIONAL 8-9 HRS. HE REFUSED MEDICAL TREATMENT AT TIME OF INCIDENT (OTHER THAN BA ND AID) & REFUSED AGAIN AT END OF SHIFT STATING HE WAS FINE. NO REDNESS OF EYE - SMALL BRUISE & CUT ABOVE EYE. NO LOST TIME.