Persimmon Branch Surface Mine has $53K in proposed MSHA penalties and $12K outstanding across 2 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
Watch this mine
Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at Persimmon Branch Surface Mine.
Fatalities
0
Total incidents
6
Years on record
2011–2021
Latest incident
Oct 2021
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2011
166
citations
63
significant & substantial
$53,137
proposed penalties
$41,480
paid to date
78% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $11,657 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.
166 citations across 2,127 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Persimmon Branch Surface Mine has $53K in proposed MSHA penalties and $12K outstanding across 2 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.
$53K
proposed penalties
$53K
current assessed
$41K
paid to date
$12K
outstanding
165 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $3K in penalties contested before the Commission, $3K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2022-06-15.
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.
2citations taken to the federal commission · 1% of citations on record
Settled
2 · 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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 1 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$3K proposed, $3K 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 2022-05-01.
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 Persimmon Branch Surface Mine shows 99% of 230 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: 2022-07-25, 4 years ago
99%
within 1.5 mg/m3
230
samples
2.08
dust max (mg/m3)
1
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.
134 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 96 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.
Persimmon Branch Surface Mine recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2022.
Injury rate, 2022
ⓘ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 3.26 and the all-US-mining average was 2.12 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.58 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
2022 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2021 *
2.46
2.46
0.000
2020 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2019 *
2.69
2.69
0.000
2018 *
5.97
5.97
0.000
2017 *
3.30
3.30
0.000
2012 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2011 *
4.19
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)
2023
2
2022
22
55,213
2021
36
131,819
2020
23
99,218
2019
29
144,797
2018
25
171,732
2017
23
188,962
2016
8
69,748
2015
3
17,728
2014
8
48,216
2013
8
48,246
2012
31
197,839
2011
18
122,871
2010
0
2009
0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Persimmon Branch Surface Mine sits in Pike County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 5.1% 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.
Pike County, Kentucky · Population 57,466
5.1%
Mining share of county employment
$42,179
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
2023 Q1
1,070
0
0
0.0
2022 Q4
1,836
0
0
0.0
2022 Q3
8,986
0
0
0.0
2022 Q2
20,633
6
3
290.8
2022 Q1
20,965
1
1
47.7
2021 Q4
21,769
3
0
137.8
2021 Q3
16,686
2
0
119.9
2021 Q2
23,193
4
1
172.5
Show 48 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2021 Q1
19,513
3
1
153.7
2020 Q4
12,731
0
0
0.0
2020 Q3
6,238
1
0
160.3
2020 Q2
8,988
1
0
111.3
2020 Q1
16,870
4
0
237.1
2019 Q4
15,667
11
4
702.1
2019 Q3
18,979
0
0
0.0
2019 Q2
20,516
11
5
536.2
2019 Q1
19,324
0
0
0.0
2018 Q4
20,771
7
2
337.0
2018 Q3
14,036
0
0
0.0
2018 Q2
16,202
5
1
308.6
2018 Q1
16,048
0
0
0.0
2017 Q4
16,897
5
1
295.9
2017 Q3
16,544
0
0
0.0
2017 Q2
14,254
2
0
140.3
2017 Q1
12,975
0
0
0.0
2016 Q4
12,371
14
7
1131.7
2016 Q3
3,771
12
4
3182.2
2016 Q2
0
0
0
2016 Q1
54
0
0
0.0
2015 Q4
787
0
0
0.0
2015 Q3
1,796
21
13
11692.7
2015 Q2
1,008
0
0
0.0
2015 Q1
1,107
1
1
903.3
2014 Q4
1,894
0
0
0.0
2014 Q3
4,477
2
1
446.7
2014 Q2
4,908
0
0
0.0
2014 Q1
4,831
2
1
414.0
2013 Q4
3,332
1
1
300.1
2013 Q3
3,900
1
0
256.4
2013 Q2
3,523
2
0
567.7
2013 Q1
3,146
0
0
0.0
2012 Q4
12,308
4
1
325.0
2012 Q3
22,258
3
0
134.8
2012 Q2
21,496
0
0
0.0
2012 Q1
22,493
0
0
0.0
2011 Q4
18,641
4
0
214.6
2011 Q3
14,309
0
0
0.0
2011 Q2
12,829
5
3
389.7
2011 Q1
1,984
0
0
0.0
2010 Q4
0
0
0
2010 Q3
0
0
0
2010 Q2
0
0
0
2010 Q1
0
0
0
2009 Q4
0
0
0
2009 Q3
0
0
0
2009 Q2
0
0
0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
6 on file
2021 · 1 incident
October 14, 2021KY · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techEXPLODING VESSELS UNDER PRESSURE