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S-24 Rocky Branch: 22 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by Jeffery A Hoops
Harlan, Harlan County, KY  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1519326

S-24 Rocky Branch has $2K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 3 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
0
Years on record
—
Latest incident
—
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2009
22
citations
2
significant & substantial
$2,324
proposed penalties
$2,324
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Revelation Energy, LLC's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2009
18
inspections on record
406
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: 406 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

S-24 Rocky Branch has $2K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 3 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.
$2K
proposed penalties
$2K
current assessed
$2K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
22 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $600 in penalties contested before the Commission, $500 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2014-01-14.
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.
9.1%
significant & substantial
4.5%
high negligence or reckless
9.1%
reasonably likely or greater
0.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 40.9% low, 54.5% moderate, 4.5% 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.
6 citations taken to the federal commission · 27% of citations on record
  • Settled 5 · 83%
  • Vacated or withdrawn 1 · 17%
17%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$600 proposed, $500 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 2012-01-18.
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 2009-1127 Settlement Weisberger 2010 $400 → $400
KENT 2012-28 Settlement Paez 2012 $100 → $100
KENT 2012-459 Withdrawal Lesnick 2012 $100 → $0
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at S-24 Rocky Branch shows 100% of 20 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: 2012-04-23, 14 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
20
samples
0.39
dust max (mg/m3)
20 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE6
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR4
  • HIGHWALL DRILL 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: 2012-04-23, 14 years ago
5%
over PEL
20
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE6
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER4
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR4
See US mines ranked by noise samples over the legal limit.
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
2012 100% 5
2011 100% 10
2009 100% 5
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2012 20% 5
2011 0% 10
2009 0% 5
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

S-24 Rocky Branch recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2012.

Injury rate, 2012
ⓘ 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
No reportable injury cases in any year shown. Employee-hours were reported in each of those years, so these are true zeros rather than missing data. Citations, listed in the compliance record above, are inspector-found violations and are counted separately from worker injuries.
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.74 and the all-US-mining average was 2.96 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.35 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
2012 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2011 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2009 * 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. Fox Knob Coal Co., Inc 2008 to 2015
  2. Revelation 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)
2017 2
2016 3
2015 5 5,121
2014 0
2013 0
2012 15 50,461
2011 15 89,554
2010 0
2009 19 240,754
2008 22 19,878
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

S-24 Rocky Branch sits in Harlan County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 4.3% 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.
Harlan County, Kentucky · Population 26,185
4.3%
Mining share of county employment
$37,198
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
2017 Q2 0 0 0
2017 Q1 3,002 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 2,971 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 2,175 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 2,054 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 2,037 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 277 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 2,355 0 0 0.0
Show 27 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2015 Q2 3,720 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 0 0 0
2014 Q4 0 0 0
2014 Q3 0 0 0
2014 Q2 0 0 0
2014 Q1 0 3 0
2013 Q4 0 0 0
2013 Q3 0 0 0
2013 Q2 0 1 0
2013 Q1 0 0 0
2012 Q4 0 0 0
2012 Q3 0 0 0
2012 Q2 9,764 3 0 307.3
2012 Q1 21,335 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 25,974 5 0 192.5
2011 Q3 20,828 3 0 144.0
2011 Q2 0 0 0
2011 Q1 0 0 0
2010 Q4 0 0 0
2010 Q3 0 0 0
2010 Q2 0 0 0
2010 Q1 0 0 0
2009 Q4 0 0 0
2009 Q3 838 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 24,700 0 0 0.0
2009 Q1 25,376 6 1 236.4
2008 Q4 16,957 0 0 0.0

No reportable incidents on file.

MSHA has no recorded reportable accidents for this mine in the current dataset. New reports appear here within a week of being filed.