Mining Incidents

Right Oakley Surface: 110 MSHA citations Coal

Ember Energy, LLC · Surface
Royalton, Magoffin County, KY  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1519459

Right Oakley Surface has $19K in proposed MSHA penalties and $1K outstanding across 5 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
5
Years on record
2010–2017
Latest incident
Jan 2017
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2010
110
citations
48
significant & substantial
$19,254
proposed penalties
$17,646
paid to date
92% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $1,608 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2010
48
inspections on record
3,017
inspection hours
3.6
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.
110 citations across 3,017 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Right Oakley Surface has $19K in proposed MSHA penalties and $1K outstanding across 5 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.
$19K
proposed penalties
$19K
current assessed
$18K
paid to date
$1K
outstanding
105 assessments are final orders; 5 contested dockets.
Of $3K in penalties contested before the Commission, $3K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2020-03-24.
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.
45.7%
significant & substantial
1.0%
high negligence or reckless
45.7%
reasonably likely or greater
24.8%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 1.0% none, 14.3% low, 83.8% moderate, 1.0% 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.
14 citations taken to the federal commission · 13% of citations on record
  • Settled 8 · 57%
  • Stood as issued 6 · 43%
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 8 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
4%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$3K proposed, $3K 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 2019-03-19.
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 2017-0067 Settlement Simonton 2017 $758 → $690
KENT 2011-459 Default Lesnick 2011 $743 → $743
KENT 2011-1272 Settlement Andrews 2013 $640 → $640
KENT 2017-0187 Settlement Simonton 2017 $420 → $375
KENT 2019-0170 Settlement Gill 2019 $121 → $121
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Right Oakley Surface shows 100% of 166 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: 2018-07-12, 8 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
166
samples
0.80
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.
120 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 46 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR61
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR45
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE22

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2018-07-18, 8 years ago
11.9
silica avg (%)
13
samples
26.0
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR9
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR4

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: 2018-07-12, 8 years ago
0%
over PEL
56
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR17
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER11
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE11
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
2018 100% 3
2017 100% 13
2016 100% 37
2015 100% 20
2014 100% 31
2013 100% 12
2012 100% 20
2011 100% 15
2010 100% 15
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2018 23.4 1
2017 22.0 1
2016 11.2 4
2015 9.2 4
2012 9.1 1
2011 9.6 2
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2018 0% 3
2016 0% 8
2015 0% 11
2014 0% 13
2012 0% 11
2010 0% 10
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Right Oakley Surface recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2016.

Injury rate, 2016
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 3.79 and the all-US-mining average was 2.59 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.56 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
2016 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2015 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2014 1.28 0.00 0.000
2013 0.00 0.00 0.000
2012 0.00 0.00 0.000
2011 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.
Ownership history
  1. Licking River Mining, LLC 2010 to 2015
  2. Ember Energy, LLC 2015 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)
2019 36 70,316
2018 0
2017 8 61,276
2016 41 344,489
2015 32 196,944
2014 56 586,738
2013 55 521,834
2012 55 565,345
2011 57 706,010
2010 43 478,684
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Right Oakley Surface sits in Magoffin County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 2.7% 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.
Magoffin County, Kentucky · Population 11,495
2.7%
Mining share of county employment
$33,632
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
2019 Q2 20,745 0 0 0.0
2018 Q4 0 0 0
2018 Q3 0 0 0
2018 Q2 0 0 0
2018 Q1 0 0 0
2017 Q4 0 0 0
2017 Q3 0 0 0
2017 Q2 8,831 0 0 0.0
Show 28 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2017 Q1 10,574 1 0 94.6
2016 Q4 23,816 3 1 126.0
2016 Q3 25,960 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 24,547 4 2 163.0
2016 Q1 24,380 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 24,887 1 1 40.2
2015 Q3 17,173 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 5,341 1 0 187.2
2015 Q1 18,874 2 0 106.0
2014 Q4 38,646 2 0 51.8
2014 Q3 40,235 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 43,943 4 1 91.0
2014 Q1 33,999 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 31,034 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 36,996 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 38,246 2 1 52.3
2013 Q1 37,390 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 35,175 3 0 85.3
2012 Q3 33,204 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 30,775 3 1 97.5
2012 Q1 38,187 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 38,229 2 0 52.3
2011 Q3 38,980 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 37,196 5 1 134.4
2011 Q1 35,827 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 32,622 2 0 61.3
2010 Q3 31,410 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 28,155 4 1 142.1
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

5 on file

2017 · 1 incident

January 27, 2017 KY · Coal outside foreman, leadman MACHINERY
Ember Energy, LLC · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Our employee was approaching the pressure gun/wand (approximately 5 ft. away) during startup. Apparently the trigger gun discharged hitting employee in the face, knocking employee's safety glasses off employee's face and causing an injury to the right eye. As there were no witnesses, this is employee's account.

2014 · 1 incident

October 10, 2014 KY · Coal greaser, grease man, oiler, lube man, dragline oiler HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Licking River Mining, LLC · Contact with hot objects or substances

EE went to a 6 inch pump that was not pumping. He removed a valve to re-prime the pump and hot water shot out and burnt his right forearm.

2013 · 2 incidents

March 27, 2013 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Licking River Mining, LLC · Struck by falling object

EE (mechanic) was changing the left track on the D-10R dozer until #L1-1472 when the chain he was picking up the track up slipped and fell on his right foot. He drove himself to ARH in Hazard and received x-rays no other treatment. His right foot was bruised.

January 30, 2013 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Licking River Mining, LLC · Struck against stationary object

EE was replacing alternator on a D9R dozer (unit #L1-798) when he slipped on the dozer track that was wet. He reached for the engine compartment door to steady himself and caught the corner of the door cutting his right hand. He went to ARH in Hazard, KY and received 10 stitches.

2010 · 1 incident

August 26, 2010 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Licking River Mining, LLC · Fall from machine

EE was hooking chains to a cab to unload it off a step deck trailer. EE forgot it was a stepdeck assumed it was flat and fell. EE landed on his back and then rolled off the lower portion to his head.