Piney Branch Surface Mine has $198K in proposed MSHA penalties and $2K outstanding across 9 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
8
Years on record
2013–2021
Latest incident
Dec 2021
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2012
145
citations
55
significant & substantial
$198,017
proposed penalties
$125,975
paid to date
64% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $72,042 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.
145 citations across 1,778 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Piney Branch Surface Mine has $198K in proposed MSHA penalties and $2K outstanding across 9 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.
$198K
proposed penalties
$128K
current assessed
$126K
paid to date
$2K
outstanding
144 assessments are final orders; 9 contested dockets.
Of $164K in penalties contested before the Commission, $94K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2023-03-20.
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.
30citations taken to the federal commission · 21% of citations on record
Settled
23 · 77%
Stood as issued
7 · 23%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 19 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
43%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$164K proposed, $94K 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 2017-11-14.
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 Piney Branch Surface Mine shows 99% of 184 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: 2022-12-27, 3 years ago
99%
within 1.5 mg/m3
184
samples
1.73
dust max (mg/m3)
0
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.
107 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 77 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.
Piney Branch Surface Mine recorded 9.38 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2019.
Injury rate, 2019
ⓘ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.
9.38
total case rate
9.38
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.39 and the all-US-mining average was 2.32 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 2.65 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
2019 *
9.38
9.38
0.000
2018 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2017 *
2.95
2.95
0.000
2016 *
2.22
2.22
0.000
2015 *
2.74
0.00
0.000
2014 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2013 *
6.87
6.87
0.000
2012 *
0.00
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)
2026
0
2025
0
2024
1
2023
1
2022
2
2021
3
2020
3
1,055
2019
10
17,336
2018
17
55,514
2017
26
148,304
2016
41
274,236
2015
39
294,174
2014
25
229,591
2013
22
155,439
2012
10
61,362
2011
2
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Piney Branch Surface Mine 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
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2026 Q2
0
0
0
2026 Q1
0
0
0
2025 Q4
0
0
0
2025 Q3
0
0
0
2025 Q2
0
0
0
2025 Q1
20
0
0
0.0
2024 Q4
500
0
0
0.0
2024 Q3
20
0
0
0.0
Show 51 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2
0
0
0
2024 Q1
530
0
0
0.0
2023 Q4
310
0
0
0.0
2023 Q3
450
0
0
0.0
2023 Q2
390
0
0
0.0
2023 Q1
510
1
1
1960.8
2022 Q4
1,360
0
0
0.0
2022 Q3
1,280
0
0
0.0
2022 Q2
278
1
0
3597.1
2022 Q1
993
0
0
0.0
2021 Q4
4,015
3
0
747.2
2021 Q3
3,868
0
0
0.0
2021 Q2
3,589
2
0
557.3
2021 Q1
2,820
2
1
709.2
2020 Q4
2,917
0
0
0.0
2020 Q3
2,567
0
0
0.0
2020 Q2
3,051
1
0
327.8
2020 Q1
3,142
0
0
0.0
2019 Q4
1,529
0
0
0.0
2019 Q3
5,521
0
0
0.0
2019 Q2
10,252
4
0
390.2
2019 Q1
4,017
3
2
746.8
2018 Q4
3,850
1
0
259.7
2018 Q3
10,184
3
1
294.6
2018 Q2
15,796
0
0
0.0
2018 Q1
14,208
0
0
0.0
2017 Q4
16,209
1
0
61.7
2017 Q3
17,013
10
6
587.8
2017 Q2
16,023
2
0
124.8
2017 Q1
18,523
14
2
755.8
2016 Q4
24,108
0
0
0.0
2016 Q3
24,727
17
6
687.5
2016 Q2
19,449
0
0
0.0
2016 Q1
21,934
12
2
547.1
2015 Q4
15,950
0
0
0.0
2015 Q3
17,447
8
1
458.5
2015 Q2
22,932
0
0
0.0
2015 Q1
16,712
0
0
0.0
2014 Q4
18,429
8
0
434.1
2014 Q3
15,491
0
0
0.0
2014 Q2
18,205
4
3
219.7
2014 Q1
14,739
0
0
0.0
2013 Q4
17,756
8
6
450.6
2013 Q3
14,913
1
0
67.1
2013 Q2
15,376
2
1
130.1
2013 Q1
10,176
1
1
98.3
2012 Q4
9,630
0
0
0.0
2012 Q3
7,498
4
1
533.5
2012 Q2
7,107
0
0
0.0
2012 Q1
1,196
4
2
3344.5
2011 Q4
1,208
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
8 on file
2021 · 1 incident
December 4, 2021VA · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Employee was dismounting equipment when they stepped onto ground they slipped and felt a sharp pain in groin area. ****NOTE: EMPLOYEE WORKED THE NEXT SHIFT 12/06/2021 TOLD SUPERVISOR ON THAT DAY ABOUT INJURY MISSED NEXT TWO DAYS OF WORK 12/07/2021 AND 12/08/2021. RETURNED ON 12/09/2021
2019 · 1 incident
April 6, 2019VA · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Employee was operating a D-9 Caterpillar Bulldozer when he backed up over a rock causing pain in back and numdness in arm.
July 31, 2013VA · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techFALLING/SLIDING/ROLLING MATERIALS
Apex Energy, Inc. · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Employee was preparing to weld the left wing section of a haul truck bed to the main section of bed. He was readjusting chain when crib kicked out causing the left wing section to turn over pinning him to the ground.