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PINE BRANCH 1: 813 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by Keri Alyssa Findley
Dunbar, Wise County, VA  ·  Temporarily Idled
MSHA Mine ID: 4407224

PINE BRANCH 1 has $910K in proposed MSHA penalties and $6K outstanding across 33 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
23
Years on record
2010–2014
Latest incident
Dec 2014
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2009
813
citations
258
significant & substantial
$910,076
proposed penalties
$752,571
paid to date
83% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $157,505 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See CUMBERLAND COAL CORPORATION's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2008
136
inspections on record
6,439
inspection hours
12.6
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.
813 citations across 6,439 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Imminent-danger orders
ⓘ A Section 107(a) order removes miners from an area when an inspector finds an imminent danger. Each order is lifted once the condition is corrected, so this counts orders issued, not orders now in effect.
2
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2013-08-06.
On record since 2010.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.

PINE BRANCH 1 has $910K in proposed MSHA penalties and $6K outstanding across 33 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.
$910K
proposed penalties
$759K
current assessed
$753K
paid to date
$6K
outstanding
787 assessments are final orders; 33 contested dockets.
Of $568K in penalties contested before the Commission, $398K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2015-09-16.
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.
32.8%
significant & substantial
2.4%
high negligence or reckless
32.9%
reasonably likely or greater
22.7%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.3% none, 10.8% low, 86.5% moderate, 2.4% high, 0.0% reckless.
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.
164 citations taken to the federal commission · 20% of citations on record
  • Settled 159 · 97%
  • Stood as issued 4 · 2%
  • Vacated or withdrawn 1 · 1%
96%
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 113 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
30%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$568K proposed, $398K 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 2014-12-22.
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.
Docket Decision Judge Year Proposed / upheld
VA 2013-303 Settlement Bulluck 2014 $64K → $45K
VA 2015-0067 Settlement Lesnick 2015 $62K → $31K
VA 2013-229 Settlement Bulluck 2014 $43K → $31K
VA 2013-410 Settlement Bulluck 2014 $38K → $25K
VA 2014-78 Settlement Bulluck 2014 $35K → $32K
VA 2012-593 Settlement Feldman 2013 $35K → $25K
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at PINE BRANCH 1 shows 94% of 555 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: 2014-06-24, 12 years ago
94%
within 1.5 mg/m3
555
samples
5.51
dust max (mg/m3)
260 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 295 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR289
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)56
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)42

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2014-03-07, 12 years ago
6.3
silica avg (%)
21
samples
10.0
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR18
See US coal mines ranked by silica in their dust samples.

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.

Last sampled: 2014-03-13, 12 years ago
11%
over PEL
92
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR17
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)16
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR15
See US mines ranked by noise samples over the legal limit.
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
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.
Year within 1.5 mg/m3 samples
2014 94% 81
2013 100% 160
2012 95% 128
2011 86% 130
2010 91% 56
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2014 9.6 1
2013 5.4 4
2012 6.7 7
2011 6.5 6
2010 4.8 3
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2014 0% 19
2013 5% 22
2012 8% 26
2011 0% 6
2010 37% 19
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

PINE BRANCH 1 recorded 3.04 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2014.

Injury rate, 2014
ⓘ 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.
3.04
total case rate
1.52
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.96 and the all-US-mining average was 2.93 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 5.11 cases per 100 workers that year.
Year total case rate days-away fatal
2014 3.04 1.52 0.000
2013 5.94 3.96 0.000
2012 1.19 0.00 0.000
2011 3.43 1.14 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.
Ownership history
  1. Cumberland River Coal LLC 2008 to 2022
  2. Coking Coal, LLC 2022 to 2025
  3. Cumberland Coal Corporation 2025 to present
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 0
2025 0
2024 2
2023 2
2022 0
2017 0
2016 0
2015 3
2014 55 219,628
2013 81 379,177
2012 73 304,837
2011 70 292,500
2010 35 89,952
2009 0
2008 0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

PINE BRANCH 1 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
2026 Q2 0 0 0
2026 Q1 0 0 0
2025 Q4 6 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 0 0 0
2025 Q1 0 0 0
2024 Q4 468 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 468 0 0 0.0
2024 Q2 456 0 0 0.0
Show 39 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q1 1,413 0 0 0.0
2023 Q4 2,044 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 1,212 0 0 0.0
2023 Q2 0 0 0
2023 Q1 0 0 0
2022 Q4 0 0 0
2022 Q3 0 0 0
2017 Q3 0 0 0
2017 Q2 0 0 0
2017 Q1 0 0 0
2016 Q4 0 0 0
2016 Q3 0 0 0
2016 Q2 0 0 0
2016 Q1 0 0 0
2015 Q4 417 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 2,450 2 2 816.3
2015 Q2 1,887 1 0 529.9
2015 Q1 1,581 2 0 1265.0
2014 Q4 1,345 8 1 5948.0
2014 Q3 11,815 8 2 677.1
2014 Q2 58,366 55 12 942.3
2014 Q1 59,995 47 10 783.4
2013 Q4 52,597 61 20 1159.8
2013 Q3 50,971 83 28 1628.4
2013 Q2 52,687 48 12 911.0
2013 Q1 45,881 29 18 632.1
2012 Q4 40,023 45 10 1124.4
2012 Q3 38,749 50 12 1290.4
2012 Q2 46,382 65 31 1401.4
2012 Q1 43,611 46 14 1054.8
2011 Q4 42,344 36 18 850.2
2011 Q3 44,214 28 7 633.3
2011 Q2 46,506 52 15 1118.1
2011 Q1 41,735 40 13 958.4
2010 Q4 26,079 27 5 1035.3
2010 Q3 19,321 32 14 1656.2
2010 Q2 8,693 17 4 1955.6
2009 Q1 0 1 0
2008 Q4 0 0 0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

23 on file

2014 · 5 incidents

October 8, 2014 VA · Coal FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Accident type, without injuries

A roof fall occurred in the intersection of the #5 entry at Break 16 on the 1 West Submain. That fall went to the edge of the intersection at break 17 in the #5 entry and across 5 Right to the edge of the intersection of the #6 entry in break 16.

July 3, 2014 VA · Coal FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Accident type, without injuries

A roof fall was found at CC 28 in the #2 entry on the north mains. The fall was 24 long by 20 wide by 8 feet high. The roof had a slip above bolt anchorage. The area had been bolted with 5 feet resin bolts and supplemented with 10 foot cable bolts.

May 30, 2014 VA · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Struck by falling object

He was installing a roof bolt when a piece of rock approximately 22'L X 14'W X 2' thick fell striking him on the top and side of the right foot.

January 18, 2014 VA · Coal laborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scaler STRIKING OR BUMPING
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Struck against stationary object

Employee was walking in the # 3 entry when he bumped his head against a belt hanger resulting in a laceration on his left ear that required 5 stitches.

2013 · 8 incidents

November 26, 2013 VA · Coal laborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scaler HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was changing batteries on a ram car when the jumper cable caught his arm resulting in a strain.

November 18, 2013 VA · Coal laborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scaler STEPPING OR KNEELING ON OBJECT
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Struck against stationary object

Employee stepped on to the man-trip when his knee locked up, he did not slip or trip and there is not a clear cut event that lead to his injury, we believe that his years of underground work had most likely weakened his knee.

October 3, 2013 VA · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Over-exertion in lifting objects

Employee was lifting a metal cover on a diesel scoop when he felt pain in his groin. He continued working until October 7, 2013 when he started losing time

September 30, 2013 VA · Coal laborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scaler HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was plugging a scoop battery up when he felt pain in his back. He continued working until October 7, 2013 at which time he began losing time.

September 12, 2013 VA · Coal FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Accident type, without injuries

A roof fall was found in the #5 entry at crosscut #40 which is the mines primary escapeway. The fall was estimated to be 18 feet by 40 feet by 10 feet in diameter.

May 15, 2013 VA · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) MACHINERY
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was operating a roof bolter, when he was struck by a piece of drill steel on forehead over the right eye creating a laceration requiring 7 stitches.

April 18, 2013 VA · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was working on continuous miner head when the tool he was using broke striking him in the mouth resulting in a cut requiring 7 stitches.

2012 · 1 incident

July 2, 2012 VA · Coal assayer, geologist, metallurgist, engineer, engineer management SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Fall onto or against objects

IEE was at #2 drive with another EE when he tripped and fell hit his knee on a piece of metal we went to Norton Hospital and got two stitches.

2011 · 6 incidents

October 21, 2011 VA · Coal FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Accident type, without injuries

Roof fall was found at 9:55am inby spad #750 in the #1 entry MSHA was called at 10:02am it has been cribbed off and dangered off.

October 10, 2011 VA · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Struck by falling object

Employee was adding steel to finish his drill hole when a rock fell from the top striking him on the right middle finger

August 29, 2011 VA · Coal continuous miner operator, coal mole operator MACHINERY
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Struck by falling object

Continous miner was turned off. Employee went to move miner cable, rock fell off miner hit left foot

July 18, 2011 VA · Coal shuttle car operator, mantrip operator, ramcar operator, rail runner, buggy operator POWERED HAULAGE
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Struck against a moving object

Employee was moving a battery powered personnel carrier when the vehicle struck the coal rib causing the employee to strike his chin against the machine. This resulted in a laceration that required 6 stitches.

2010 · 3 incidents

December 13, 2010 VA · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Struck by falling object

Employee was operating a roof bolter when a piece of draw slate fell striking his right hand resulting in a laceration that required stitches to close.

August 18, 2010 VA · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Struck by falling object

Employee was operating a roof bolter when he was struck on the shoulder and arm by a piece of roof rock. The piece of rock measured 18 inches by 12 inches by 1-4 inches. The result was a laceration that required 8 stitches.

July 8, 2010 VA · Coal bull gang foreman, labor foreman, leadman, section foreman, shift boss DUST DISEASE OF LUNGS
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Inhalation of radiations, caustics, toxic and noxious substances

We have been notified that the employee has a sufficient degree of pneumoconiosis (black lung) and is eligible for Part 90 and wishes to excersize his option.