S-14 Trace Fork has $161K in proposed MSHA penalties and $34K outstanding across 16 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
Watch this mine
Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at S-14 Trace Fork.
Fatalities
0
Total incidents
12
Years on record
2009–2015
Latest incident
Aug 2015
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2009
263
citations
94
significant & substantial
$161,465
proposed penalties
$113,341
paid to date
70% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $48,124 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.
263 citations across 1,738 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
S-14 Trace Fork has $161K in proposed MSHA penalties and $34K outstanding across 16 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.
$161K
proposed penalties
$147K
current assessed
$113K
paid to date
$34K
outstanding
260 assessments are final orders; 16 contested dockets.
Of $79K in penalties contested before the Commission, $65K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2016-05-10.
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.
67citations taken to the federal commission · 25% of citations on record
Settled
48 · 72%
Stood as issued
19 · 28%
81%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 27 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
18%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$79K proposed, $65K 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 2016-09-14.
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 S-14 Trace Fork shows 100% of 112 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: 2016-05-27, 10 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
112
samples
1.11
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.
67 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 45 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.
S-14 Trace Fork recorded 4.63 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.
4.63
total case rate
2.31
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.76 and the all-US-mining average was 2.72 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
2015 *
4.63
2.31
0.000
2010
4.14
1.38
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)
2016
11
194,423
2015
30
474,661
2014
12
81,212
2013
27
135,519
2012
1
2011
73
217,492
2010
61
404,535
2009
39
57,255
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
S-14 Trace Fork sits in Knott County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 2.8% 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.
Knott County, Kentucky · Population 14,046
2.8%
Mining share of county employment
$37,736
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
2016 Q3
1,071
0
0
0.0
2016 Q2
6,111
8
4
1309.1
2016 Q1
14,718
21
11
1426.8
2015 Q4
16,339
4
1
244.8
2015 Q3
20,157
3
0
148.8
2015 Q2
23,806
3
1
126.0
2015 Q1
26,154
10
1
382.4
2014 Q4
24,345
9
2
369.7
Show 14 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2014 Q3
0
0
0
2014 Q1
0
0
0
2013 Q4
7,820
4
0
511.5
2013 Q3
23,423
16
5
683.1
2013 Q2
1,999
0
0
0.0
2012 Q1
10
19
3
1900000.0
2011 Q3
42,361
31
11
731.8
2011 Q2
42,633
0
0
0.0
2011 Q1
33,688
2
1
59.4
2010 Q4
41,030
18
11
438.7
2010 Q3
38,303
4
3
104.4
2010 Q2
35,786
10
8
279.4
2010 Q1
29,914
14
10
468.0
2009 Q4
22,118
16
1
723.4
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
12 on file
2015 · 2 incidents
August 1, 2015KY · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techMACHINERY
EE was working on a bulldozer which required him to remove the hood. While lifting the hood off it flipped up on one end and the chain came loose allowing the hood to fall pinning ee hand.
Employee slipped and fell while on main frame of HWM causing him to hit his face on the vertical swing jack. Result of injury was a nasal fracture and employee returned to work on 05/28/15 to full duty with no further follow-up appointments necessary.
2012 · 1 incident
January 11, 2012KY · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Employee was working on dozer belly pan when wind blew 2 very small pieces of metal in right eye. Employee was wearing safety glasses at time. The eye was washed out at 1st aid station and ee went back to work however the next morning his eye was still irritated. He went to ER where material was removed and he was allowed to come back to work no permanent damage.
April 19, 2011KY · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Employee was helping move a 6" water pump to a different pond. Pump was being carried in a loader bucket employee attempted to pull pump out of loader bucket by himself and pulled a mussel in his back (mid back).
February 3, 2011KY · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
CDR Operations Inc · Caught in, under or between (Not Elsewhere Classified)
At 9:10 employee was operating a Caterpillar 10-11-R when a hose blew. When he dismounted dozer he lost his footing and fell. His left leg went between push arm and track causing injury to ankle and leg.
EE was placing jack under rear-end of truck in order to change rear tire when a rock that was in a clump of mud on the underside of the truck body became dislodged and fell approx. 2 feet and struck the EE in the back of the head. This resulted in a laceration and a knot to his head. Took EE to treatment center where Dr. applied skin glue and then let him RTW.
August 2, 2010KY · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
EE was working on a 289 rock truck when the accident happened. EE was tightening a large nut with a hammer and a chisel when a small piece of metal came off of the nut and struck the EE in the right cheek.
Operator of a 785 cat truck co #0333 was getting loaded in #8 Pit when he said the loader man dropped a rock in bed of truck and caused a jar to the truck driver.
2009 · 2 incidents
November 16, 2009KY · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Injured person was striking a drill bit with a hammer, trying to loosen up the cones on bit, when a piece of metal flew off and struck his left wrist. The piece of metal went under skin and had to be removed by a doctor.
CDR Operations Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Employee attempting to remove fill plug on final drive on D11R dozer using a 3/4 ratchet. When plug broke loose, finger was caught between ratchet and bolt head on final drive. As a result, finger was mashed and cut.