Appalachia, Wise County,
VA
·
Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 4407262
Phillips Rider Mine has $32K in proposed MSHA penalties and $632 outstanding across 10 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
3
Years on record
2012
Latest incident
Jul 2012
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2010
132
citations
30
significant & substantial
$31,948
proposed penalties
$27,816
paid to date
87% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $4,132 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.
132 citations across 1,659 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Phillips Rider Mine has $32K in proposed MSHA penalties and $632 outstanding across 10 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.
$32K
proposed penalties
$28K
current assessed
$28K
paid to date
$632
outstanding
127 assessments are final orders; 10 contested dockets.
Of $15K in penalties contested before the Commission, $12K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2014-03-04.
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.
23citations taken to the federal commission · 17% of citations on record
Settled
22 · 96%
Stood as issued
1 · 4%
86%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 22 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
23%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$15K proposed, $12K 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 2012-12-26.
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 Phillips Rider Mine shows 91% of 171 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: 2012-09-12, 13 years ago
91%
within 1.5 mg/m3
171
samples
4.54
dust max (mg/m3)
84 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 87 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.
Phillips Rider Mine recorded 4.14 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.
4.14
total case rate
4.14
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.
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)
2014
0
2013
0
2012
48
178,326
2011
7
27,027
2010
8
9,560
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Phillips Rider Mine 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
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2014 Q3
0
0
0
2014 Q2
0
0
0
2014 Q1
0
0
0
2013 Q4
0
0
0
2013 Q3
0
0
0
2013 Q2
0
1
0
2013 Q1
29
2
2
68965.5
2012 Q4
4,852
7
4
1442.7
Show 10 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2012 Q3
29,870
25
6
837.0
2012 Q2
31,866
22
5
690.4
2012 Q1
30,143
19
5
630.3
2011 Q4
4,350
7
1
1609.2
2011 Q3
4,542
9
1
1981.5
2011 Q2
3,882
11
1
2833.6
2011 Q1
3,114
8
0
2569.0
2010 Q4
1,613
2
0
1239.9
2010 Q3
2,018
3
2
1486.6
2010 Q2
4,043
4
1
989.4
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
3 on file
2012 · 3 incidents
July 25, 2012VA · Coalroof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs)SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Employee was installing rib bolts when he stepped back and got foot caught between cinder blocks causing knee to twist. Location was MMU 001 60' outby SS #377
May 25, 2012VA · Coalshuttle car operator, mantrip operator, ramcar operator, rail runner, buggy operatorSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Employee had finished safety talk with crew and two MSHA Inspectors and went to the power center. He called for the Shift Foreman to come to him and was holding his chest, saying he had pain in his chest and arm. Foreman checked pulse, stopped at Trauma Trailer got AED, O2. Foreman administered O2 and transported employee to surface where he was taken to the hospital by ambulance.