Pine Branch Mining LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Employee was inserting an auger into the box of a highwall beam and got left index finger caught between the auger and box.
Pads Branch Washer: 71 MSHA citations Coal
Pine Branch Mining LLC
· Facility
Controlled by
Sev.en Global Investments a.s.
Chavies,
Perry County,
KY
·
Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1519656
Pads Branch Washer has $90K 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
- 3
- Years on record
- 2012–2017
- Latest incident
- Apr 2017
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2012
71
citations
16
significant & substantial
$90,307
proposed penalties
$30,395
paid to date
34% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $59,912 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2012
25
inspections on record
631
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: 631 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
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: 2015-09-09.
On record since 2015.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
Pads Branch Washer has $90K 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.$90K
proposed penalties
$30K
current assessed
$30K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
67 assessments are final orders; 4 contested dockets.
Of $83K in penalties contested before the Commission, $23K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2017-07-19.
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.22.9%
significant & substantial
4.3%
high negligence or reckless
22.9%
reasonably likely or greater
5.7%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 2.9% low, 92.9% moderate, 4.3% high, 0.0% reckless.
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.
8
citations taken to the federal commission · 11% of citations on record
- Settled 8 · 100%
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 8 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
72%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$83K proposed, $23K 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 2017-03-06.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KENT 2016-0106 | Settlement | McCarthy | 2016 | $43K → $15K |
| KENT 2016-202M | Settlement | Rae | 2017 | $39K → $7K |
| KENT 2017-0109 | Settlement | Rae | 2017 | $800 → $800 |
| KENT 2013-882 | Settlement | Miller | 2013 | $162 → $162 |
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
MSHA sampling at Pads Branch Washer shows 100% of 10 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: 2013-09-16, 12 years ago
ⓘ
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.100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
10
samples
0.70
dust max (mg/m3)
10 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
- HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER3
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR1
- CLEANUP MAN1
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: 2016-12-13, 9 years ago
ⓘ
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.0%
over PEL
24
samples
Most-sampled occupations
- WELDER (SHOP)6
- ELECTRICIAN3
- HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER3
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 100% | 5 |
| 2012 | 100% | 5 |
Noise by year
| Year | over PEL | samples |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0% | 14 |
| 2013 | 0% | 5 |
| 2012 | 0% | 5 |
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
- Pine Branch Coal Sales, Inc. 2012 to 2012
- Pine Branch Mining LLC 2012 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
| Year | Employees |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2014 | 2 |
| 2013 | 7 |
| 2012 | 9 |
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Pads Branch Washer sits in Perry County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 3.3% 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.Perry County, Kentucky · Population 27,847
3.3%
Mining share of county employment
$45,261
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Q3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2017 Q2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2017 Q1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 Q4 | 0 | 20 | 6 | |
| 2016 Q3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2016 Q2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 Q1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015 Q4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Show 14 earlier quarters Hide earlier quarters
| Quarter | Hours worked | Citations | S&S | Per 1M hrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Q3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2015 Q2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2015 Q1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2014 Q4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 Q3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2014 Q2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2014 Q1 | 2,166 | 9 | 0 | 4155.1 |
| 2013 Q4 | 5,064 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2013 Q3 | 7,162 | 4 | 0 | 558.5 |
| 2013 Q2 | 1,479 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2013 Q1 | 1,291 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2012 Q4 | 5,107 | 7 | 1 | 1370.7 |
| 2012 Q3 | 7,694 | 3 | 0 | 389.9 |
| 2012 Q2 | 8,076 | 7 | 1 | 866.8 |
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
3 on file2017 · 1 incident
2013 · 1 incident
March 29, 2013
KY · Coal
maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech
HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Pine Branch Mining LLC · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)
Employee was helping remove a hydraulic cylinder from a storage rack and as he reached to remove a block of wood from in front of the cylinder, the cylinder shifted & slid on the forks of the forklift and struck him behind the left knee causing laceration & bruising.
2012 · 1 incident
May 26, 2012
KY · Coal
maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech
SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Pine Branch Coal Sales, Inc. · Fall from ladders
EE was climbing ladder to measure for the installation of a fitting in a water tank when bottom of the ladder slipped out and EE fell striking his forehead on a conduit bracket on the wall required 7 stitches.