Mining Incidents

Pepper: 1 recorded fatality Coal

Controlled by Massey Energy Company
Havaco, Mcdowell County, WV  ·  Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 4605892

MSHA record for Pepper (mine ID 4605892). Fatalities, non-fatal incidents grouped by year, current operator and controller, and mine context.

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Fatalities
1
Total incidents
2
Years on record
1986–1988
Latest incident
Feb 1988
Ownership history
  1. Trace Fork Coal Company 1978 to 1985
  2. Sos Mining Inc 1985 to 1986
  3. Soho Coal Company Inc 1986 to 1987
  4. Special Mining Corp 1987 to 1990
  5. Royalty Smokeless Coal Company Inc 1990 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.

Pepper sits in McDowell County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 13.0% 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.
McDowell County, West Virginia · Population 18,413
13.0%
Mining share of county employment
$29,980
Median household income
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates.

Fatalities at this mine

1 recorded
January 7, 1986 WV · Coal electrician, lineman Fatality · FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Soho Coal Company Inc · Struck by falling object

THE VICTIM WAS 3N THE FACE OF THE #5 ENTRY WHERE THE ROOF BOLTER WAS OPERATING THE VICTIM WENT INBY PERMANENT SUPPORTS AND WAS STRUCK BY A ROCK APPROX 8 FT X 6 FT X 14 FT

Reportable incidents

1 on file (excluding fatalities above)

1988 · 1 incident

February 18, 1988 WV · Coal continuous miner operator, coal mole operator MACHINERY
Special Mining Corp · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

MINER WAS OPERATING CONTINUOUS MINER ON UPHILL GRADE WHEN RIPPER JACK PEN ROLLED OFF THE MINER & HIT I.NAME KNEE LATER HE WAS POULLING CABLE OUT OF ROAD WAY & TWISTED HIS H IP