Poplar Springs has $144K in proposed MSHA penalties and $100 outstanding across 2 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
19
Years on record
2006–2014
Latest incident
Dec 2014
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2006
164
citations
58
significant & substantial
$144,445
proposed penalties
$140,766
paid to date
97% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $3,679 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.
164 citations across 1,312 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Poplar Springs has $144K in proposed MSHA penalties and $100 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.
$144K
proposed penalties
$141K
current assessed
$141K
paid to date
$100
outstanding
160 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $10K in penalties contested before the Commission, $6K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2013-04-03.
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.
7citations taken to the federal commission · 4% of citations on record
Settled
7 · 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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 3 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
37%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$10K proposed, $6K 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 2012-03-15.
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 Poplar Springs shows 100% of 178 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: 2015-07-01, 11 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
178
samples
1.05
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.
147 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 31 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.
Poplar Springs recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2015.
Injury rate, 2015
ⓘ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 3.76 and the all-US-mining average was 2.72 cases per 100 workers.
In Alabama, coal mining averaged 2.96 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
2015 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2014 *
2.40
2.40
0.000
2013 *
7.86
0.00
0.000
2012
7.96
2.65
0.000
2011
1.93
0.96
0.000
2010
2.31
0.00
0.000
2009
0.00
0.00
0.000
2008
1.46
1.46
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)
2015
21
99,183
2014
26
220,792
2013
30
189,370
2012
59
372,942
2011
73
449,055
2010
69
458,145
2009
53
257,033
2008
45
355,947
2007
33
314,843
2006
35
318,594
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Poplar Springs sits in Winston County, Alabama, where the Census mining category is 0.6% 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.
Winston County, Alabama · Population 23,637
0.6%
Mining share of county employment
$48,032
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
While digging overburden, the 6030 excavator struck a blasting cap and or booster. This caused the blasting cap and or booster to detonate. The windshield on the 6030 was cracked by fly rock.
August 9, 2014AL · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
While descending a set of steps attached to the front of a fuel tank on fuel truck (MACK) PS37676, employees foot slipped. Employee tried to hold on and regain his footing. Employee fell to the ground. Fall resulted in a shoulder injury.
2013 · 3 incidents
July 31, 2013AL · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Employee was using a hammer to hit the metal bucket of the dozer, he was replacing the dozers bucket tip and a piece of metal chipped off and hit his left forearm.
2012 · 8 incidents
July 25, 2012AL · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Coupling hose from an emulsion truck tanker was being detached, the driver did not allow time for the air to release from the hose when he uncoupled the connection thus being under pressure the coupling struck the driver in the side of the head, as a result the driver sustained a concussion.
While loading blasting agent onto the blast hole the blasting agent caught fire, detonated and caused the detonation of additional primers that had been placed around the blast hole area. Fire was caused by Blaster smoking near blast hole. See attached MSHA Citation #8521062.
2011 · 2 incidents
August 7, 2011AL · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerMACHINERY
He was driving an equalizer pin into an equalizer bar; a piece of the pin chipped off and went into the thumb on his left hand. He had to have the chipped piece removed from his finger.
Rock truck operator backed 100 ton rock truck off dump, over-turned rock truck, was flown to University of Alabama Hospital where he was treated and released with a hairline crack in L1 vertebrate.
2006 · 1 incident
October 16, 2006AL · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerHANDLING OF MATERIALS