Owls Nest Job #8 has $147K in proposed MSHA penalties and $109K outstanding across 9 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
Watch this mine
Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at Owls Nest Job #8.
Fatalities
0
Total incidents
5
Years on record
2008–2011
Latest incident
Jun 2011
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2007
294
citations
151
significant & substantial
$146,682
proposed penalties
$33,798
paid to date
23% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $112,884 gap.
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.
294 citations across 1,715 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Imminent-danger orders
ⓘA Section 107(a) order removes miners from an area when an inspector finds an imminent danger. Each order is lifted once the condition is corrected, so this counts orders issued, not orders now in effect.
1
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2013-10-21.
On record since 2013.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
Owls Nest Job #8 has $147K in proposed MSHA penalties and $109K outstanding across 9 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.
$147K
proposed penalties
$143K
current assessed
$34K
paid to date
$109K
outstanding
284 assessments are final orders; 9 contested dockets.
Of $21K in penalties contested before the Commission, $17K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2014-06-17.
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.
30citations taken to the federal commission · 10% of citations on record
Settled
25 · 83%
Stood as issued
5 · 17%
100%
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 18 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
17%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$21K proposed, $17K 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 2014-05-27.
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 Owls Nest Job #8 shows 99% of 120 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: 2015-02-12, 11 years ago
99%
within 1.5 mg/m3
120
samples
1.67
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.
84 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 36 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.
Owls Nest Job #8 recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2014.
Injury rate, 2014
ⓘ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
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.96 and the all-US-mining average was 2.93 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.63 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
2014 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2013 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2012 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2011 *
2.98
2.98
0.000
2010 *
5.56
5.56
0.000
2009
1.56
1.56
0.000
2008
1.54
1.54
0.000
2007 *
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)
2015
3
2014
11
57,886
2013
17
150,622
2012
19
146,229
2011
26
189,601
2010
28
320,139
2009
46
516,345
2008
49
775,066
2007
30
267,885
2006
8
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Owls Nest Job #8 sits in Leslie County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 10.6% 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.
Leslie County, Kentucky · Population 10,261
10.6%
Mining share of county employment
$40,176
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
2015 Q2
1,328
0
0
0.0
2015 Q1
1,791
0
0
0.0
2014 Q4
5,319
0
0
0.0
2014 Q3
9,034
0
0
0.0
2014 Q2
8,155
1
1
122.6
2014 Q1
7,211
0
0
0.0
2013 Q4
11,099
3
2
270.3
2013 Q3
9,591
2
2
208.5
Show 28 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2013 Q2
10,634
5
0
470.2
2013 Q1
11,377
0
0
0.0
2012 Q4
12,496
2
0
160.1
2012 Q3
9,684
0
0
0.0
2012 Q2
8,027
1
0
124.6
2012 Q1
13,367
0
0
0.0
2011 Q4
18,088
5
3
276.4
2011 Q3
19,517
0
0
0.0
2011 Q2
16,825
9
3
534.9
2011 Q1
12,709
0
0
0.0
2010 Q4
10,878
7
3
643.5
2010 Q3
18,988
0
0
0.0
2010 Q2
19,801
10
5
505.0
2010 Q1
22,332
3
1
134.3
2009 Q4
32,791
22
10
670.9
2009 Q3
27,400
1
1
36.5
2009 Q2
30,742
17
6
553.0
2009 Q1
37,331
0
0
0.0
2008 Q4
35,193
3
1
85.2
2008 Q3
38,621
0
0
0.0
2008 Q2
31,380
6
2
191.2
2008 Q1
24,476
3
2
122.6
2007 Q4
18,017
0
0
0.0
2007 Q3
22,069
0
0
0.0
2007 Q2
11,726
1
1
85.3
2007 Q1
11,666
2
2
171.4
2006 Q4
5,276
0
0
0.0
2006 Q3
0
0
0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
5 on file
2011 · 1 incident
June 23, 2011KY · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerMACHINERY
Questionable incident - Employee was operating a D10R dozer and ran over what appears to be a primer or large bolter causing the dozer to bounce straining back, neck, & shoulder. Employee continued to work. Lost time began 09-06-11 possibly related to this incident.
2010 · 2 incidents
June 23, 2010KY · Coalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorPOWERED HAULAGE
At end of shift, while tramming Cat. 992K to parking lot, EE drove through a dip in the road, causing a quick jerk to his back. Diagnosis is pending an MRI.
2009 · 1 incident
October 5, 2009KY · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerMACHINERY
Employee was pushing rock with a Cat. D11 dozer when the blade of the dozer slipped on a rock, causing a quick jerk to the operator. Employee complained of lower back pain. He drove himself to the Mary Breckingridge Hospital in Hyden, Ky where an MRI is pending.