PAW PAW 2 SOUTH has $120K in proposed MSHA penalties and $18K outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
8
Years on record
2023–2025
Latest incident
Jul 2025
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2022
302
citations
38
significant & substantial
$119,952
proposed penalties
$102,128
paid to date
85% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $17,824 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.
302 citations across 6,630 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
PAW PAW 2 SOUTH has $120K in proposed MSHA penalties and $18K outstanding across 1 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.
$120K
proposed penalties
$120K
current assessed
$102K
paid to date
$18K
outstanding
295 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-04-29.
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.
1citations taken to the federal commission · 0% of citations on record
Still open
1 · 100%
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 A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record.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 2025-08-25.
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 PAW PAW 2 SOUTH shows 100% of 3,307 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: 2025-09-18
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
3,307
samples
3.69
dust max (mg/m3)
6
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.
349 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 2,958 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.
PAW PAW 2 SOUTH recorded 1.86 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2025.
Injury rate, 2025
ⓘ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.
1.86
total case rate
1.86
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.19 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 2.97 cases per 100 workers that year.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2025
1.86
1.86
0.000
2024
3.39
3.39
0.000
2023
0.86
0.86
0.000
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
7
2025
93
378,104
2024
96
376,308
2023
102
351,349
2022
27
91,508
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
PAW PAW 2 SOUTH 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
A continuous miner operator was cutting coal out of the #7 heading while positioned on the lefthand inby corner of the #7 entry. One piece of the corner that consisted of coal and rock sloughed off striking EE on the left shoulder and back area. The employee was placed off of work beginning 7/21/25.
April 16, 2025VA · Coallaborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scalerHANDLING OF MATERIALS
A roof bolt operator incorrectly coupled a piece of pusher steel and finisher still while attempting to drill a hole for roof bolt installation. With pressure applied, the finisher steel flew back and struck the employee around the bridge of the nose causing a laceration and a fracture of the sinus cavity.
2024 · 4 incidents
December 9, 2024VA · Coalcontinuous miner operator, coal mole operatorOTHER
An employee was preparing to turn to move the continuous miner when they noticed a pain in their left knee that ultimately was discovered to be a torn meniscus.
The employee was walking through a crosscut. EE kneeled down when a piece of rib rolled off striking EE on EE's lower left leg. This resulted in a broken left tibia and fibula just above the left ankle.
August 1, 2024VA · Coalshuttle car operator, mantrip operator, ramcar operator, rail runner, buggy operatorPOWERED HAULAGE
A shuttle car operator drove in to the corner of a rib while tramming from the miner to the feeder. The operator's right shoulder was caught between the frame of the shuttle car and the rib causing a cut.
A roof bolter's right uniform sleeve was caught by a roof bolt plate as EE was installing a roof bolt in the #8 heading. Both forearm bones were broken and EE received a cut to the right ear that required stitches.