PARAGON LOADOUT has $156K in proposed MSHA penalties and $17K outstanding across 22 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
9
Years on record
1999–2026
Latest incident
Jun 2026
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
802
citations
340
significant & substantial
$155,703
proposed penalties
$128,199
paid to date
82% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $27,504 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.
802 citations across 3,863 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
PARAGON LOADOUT has $156K in proposed MSHA penalties and $17K outstanding across 22 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.
$156K
proposed penalties
$145K
current assessed
$128K
paid to date
$17K
outstanding
789 assessments are final orders; 22 contested dockets.
Of $52K in penalties contested before the Commission, $40K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-06-23.
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.
110citations taken to the federal commission · 14% of citations on record
Settled
83 · 75%
Stood as issued
24 · 22%
Vacated or withdrawn
3 · 3%
93%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 43 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
22%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$52K proposed, $40K 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 2016-12-11.
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 PARAGON LOADOUT shows 100% of 217 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: 2026-06-24
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
217
samples
0.79
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.
191 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 26 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
BULLDOZER OPERATOR72
HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER28
UTILITY MAN25
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.
PARAGON LOADOUT recorded 8.67 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2012.
Injury rate, 2012
ⓘ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.
8.67
total case rate
8.67
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.74 and the all-US-mining average was 2.96 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 3.61 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
2012 *
8.67
8.67
0.000
2011 *
4.53
4.53
0.000
2010 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2009 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2008 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2007 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2006 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2005 *
5.02
5.02
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
Year
Employees
2026
4
2025
4
2024
3
2023
3
2022
3
2021
2
2020
4
2019
4
2018
3
2017
5
2016
3
2015
6
2014
7
2013
7
2012
10
2011
17
2010
17
2009
19
2008
18
2007
16
2006
15
2005
14
2004
13
2003
13
2002
13
2001
14
2000
18
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
PARAGON LOADOUT sits in Wise County, Virginia, where the Census mining category is 5.9% 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.
Wise County, Virginia · Population 35,727
5.9%
Mining share of county employment
$50,740
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
4th Gen Fuels LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Employee was removing a grease hose from a bearing on a coal feeder when the wrench EE was using slipped and mashed EE's right ring finger between the wrench and the guard on the coal feeder bearing causing a cut to EE's finger requiring 2 stitches and returned back to work 3 hours later
2023 · 1 incident
June 28, 2023VA · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanMACHINERY
Employee was closing open doors on train cars, prying them shut with a bar, when bar slipped out of door, releasing pressure on bar causing employee to stumble, causing pain to shoulder, back, & neck area - On 1-6-14 EE was treated in the ER with a return to work with no limitations. On 2-7-14 EE was seen by a specialist. On 2-10-14 EE would be off work for 3 weeks.
2012 · 1 incident
March 23, 2012VA · Coalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Employee standing on the ground checking Hydraulic oil on a 980 loader, he slipped and tried to catch himself with a grab rail on the loader, felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder and fell to the ground sustaining a laceration and a contusions to the left wrist and forearm.