Mining Incidents

Redhawk #2: 100 MSHA citations Coal

Redhawk Mining LLC · Underground
Risner, Floyd County, KY  ·  Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 1519563

Redhawk #2 has $18K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 4 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

Watch this mine

Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at Redhawk #2.

Fatalities
0
Total incidents
2
Years on record
2011
Latest incident
Oct 2011
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2011
100
citations
29
significant & substantial
$17,644
proposed penalties
$16,065
paid to date
91% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $1,579 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2011
19
inspections on record
662
inspection hours
n/a
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.
Rate withheld: 662 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
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.
1
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2011-09-09.
On record since 2011.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.

Redhawk #2 has $18K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 4 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.
$18K
proposed penalties
$16K
current assessed
$16K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
91 assessments are final orders; 4 contested dockets.
Of $6K in penalties contested before the Commission, $5K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2012-06-22.
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.
31.9%
significant & substantial
5.5%
high negligence or reckless
31.9%
reasonably likely or greater
28.6%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 1.1% low, 93.4% moderate, 5.5% 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.
8 citations taken to the federal commission · 8% of citations on record
  • Settled 8 · 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 7 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
26%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$6K proposed, $5K 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 2012-03-13.
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
KENT 2012-311 Settlement Lesnick 2012 $4K → $3K
KENT 2012-385 Settlement Lesnick 2014 $924 → $739
KENT 2012-719 Settlement Lesnick 2013 $911 → $650
KENT 2011-902 Settlement Lesnick 2012 $293 → $220
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Redhawk #2 shows 84% of 49 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: 2011-12-21, 14 years ago
84%
within 1.5 mg/m3
49
samples
3.41
dust max (mg/m3)
25 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 24 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR27
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)5
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)4

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: 2011-11-21, 14 years ago
0%
over PEL
10
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR2
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR2
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)2
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. Black Hawk Mining, LLC 2011 to 2011
  2. Superior Mining Mine No 4 LLC 2011 to 2011
  3. Redhawk Mining LLC 2011 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)
2012 2
2011 34 55,112
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Redhawk #2 sits in Floyd County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 4.4% 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.
Floyd County, Kentucky · Population 35,342
4.4%
Mining share of county employment
$41,582
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
2012 Q2 96 2 0 20833.3
2012 Q1 20 1 0 50000.0
2011 Q4 24,953 10 4 400.8
2011 Q3 5,399 39 6 7223.6
2011 Q2 9,717 34 14 3499.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

2 on file

2011 · 2 incidents

October 13, 2011 KY · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Redhawk Mining LLC · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Roof Bolter was trying to pull a bent roof bolt from the roof when it suddenly came loose and contacted his mouth. He was taken to the hospital, recieved three stitches and returned to work.

May 14, 2011 KY · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Superior Mining Mine No 4 LLC · Struck by flying object

Member was making a belt splice and a piece of metal from a ballpin hammer struck his left forearm causing a small puncture wound.