Mining Incidents

Poplar Springs Coal

Controlled by NACCO Industries Inc
Navoo, Winston County, AL  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 0103321

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.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2006
44
inspections on record
1,312
inspection hours
12.5
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.
As of the most recent assessment on 2013-04-03.
Source: MSHA assessed-violations and conference/litigation data, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Poplar Springs shows respirable coal dust averaging 0.14 mg/m3 (100% compliant) across 178 samples.

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.
0.14
dust avg (mg/m3)
1.05
dust max (mg/m3)
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
178
samples
Most recent sample: 2015-07-01.
Silica (quartz)
24.8
silica avg (%)
46.3
silica max (%)
11
samples
Most recent sample: 2015-06-10.
Noise
6%
over PEL
88
samples
Most recent sample: 2015-01-06.
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
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
2015 Q4 0 0 0
2015 Q3 10,317 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 22,290 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 23,255 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 25,263 1 0 39.6
2014 Q3 20,764 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 22,396 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 15,061 0 0 0.0
Show 32 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2013 Q4 0 0 0
2013 Q3 17,060 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 24,150 4 0 165.6
2013 Q1 35,156 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 29,910 3 1 100.3
2012 Q3 31,487 1 0 31.8
2012 Q2 39,339 7 1 177.9
2012 Q1 50,021 3 2 60.0
2011 Q4 58,450 4 1 68.4
2011 Q3 59,649 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 49,418 7 3 141.6
2011 Q1 39,999 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 40,277 5 2 124.1
2010 Q3 45,278 2 1 44.2
2010 Q2 44,467 13 6 292.4
2010 Q1 43,129 9 2 208.7
2009 Q4 41,989 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 28,947 13 4 449.1
2009 Q2 21,698 0 0 0.0
2009 Q1 22,632 22 2 972.1
2008 Q4 34,721 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 30,547 25 19 818.4
2008 Q2 39,247 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 32,550 13 4 399.4
2007 Q4 23,628 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 22,113 5 3 226.1
2007 Q2 26,227 1 1 38.1
2007 Q1 25,067 9 1 359.0
2006 Q4 24,999 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 25,585 12 5 469.0
2006 Q2 28,572 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 24,798 5 0 201.6
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

19 on file

2014 · 2 incidents

December 23, 2014 AL · Coal EXPLOSIVES AND BREAKING AGENTS
Centennial Natural Resources LLC · Accident type, without injuries

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, 2014 AL · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Reed Minerals, Inc. · Fall from machine

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, 2013 AL · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
National Coal of Alabama Inc · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was cutting a water with a utility knife and the knife slipped and cut his right forearm.

February 9, 2013 AL · Coal pumper HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
National Coal of Alabama Inc · Struck by flying object

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, 2012 AL · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDLING OF MATERIALS
National Coal of Alabama Inc · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

He was stepping out of his service truck heard pop under right foot

July 18, 2012 AL · Coal haul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driver HANDLING OF MATERIALS
National Coal of Alabama Inc · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

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.

April 23, 2012 AL · Coal pumper SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
National Coal of Alabama Inc · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was climbing off of a dozer and slipped on the track and grabbed a handle to keep from falling and pulled his left shoulder.

March 5, 2012 AL · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman HANDLING OF MATERIALS
National Coal of Alabama Inc · Over-exertion in lifting objects

Employee was loading and unloading water pumps and hoses and pulled the muscle in his lower back.

January 28, 2012 AL · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
National Coal of Alabama Inc · Fall onto or against objects

Employee was shoveling coal from conveyer belt and slipped hitting the crusher, resulting in a contusion to the left chest wall.

January 14, 2012 AL · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDLING OF MATERIALS
National Coal of Alabama Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

Contract Mechanic was changing the track on a D-11 dozer and the track flipped over mashing his left index finger.

January 11, 2012 AL · Coal EXPLOSIVES AND BREAKING AGENTS
National Coal of Alabama Inc · Accident type, without injuries

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, 2011 AL · Coal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer MACHINERY
National Coal of Alabama Inc · Struck against a moving object

Employee was backing over a rock with the bulldozer and the dozer caught on the rock pulling, jerked the emplyee pulling his left shoulder.

March 7, 2011 AL · Coal welder (shop) HANDLING OF MATERIALS
National Coal of Alabama Inc · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was preparing to weld a C-clamp, he sat the clap on a table to measure it and the clamp slipped mashing his right finger.

2010 · 2 incidents

November 1, 2010 AL · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDLING OF MATERIALS
National Coal of Alabama Inc · Over-exertion in lifting objects

Employee was sliding a 4x8 screen and lifted up on it and pulled a muscle in his chest wall.

June 26, 2010 AL · Coal welder (shop) HANDLING OF MATERIALS
National Coal of Alabama Inc · Struck by flying object

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.

2008 · 1 incident

September 16, 2008 AL · Coal haul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driver POWERED HAULAGE
National Coal of Alabama Inc · Struck against a moving object

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

For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants

The full compliance file on Poplar Springs

A dated report covering the 26-year penalty trail, line-item violation pattern, contest and docket posture, rate-normalized peer benchmark, and full fatality history. Delivered as a PDF with the underlying data as CSV.