S-5 Ailly Branch has $218K in proposed MSHA penalties and $67K outstanding across 18 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
6
Years on record
2013–2020
Latest incident
Dec 2020
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2012
156
citations
62
significant & substantial
$218,014
proposed penalties
$57,159
paid to date
26% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $160,855 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.
156 citations across 1,853 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
S-5 Ailly Branch has $218K in proposed MSHA penalties and $67K outstanding across 18 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.
$218K
proposed penalties
$124K
current assessed
$57K
paid to date
$67K
outstanding
155 assessments are final orders; 18 contested dockets.
Of $204K in penalties contested before the Commission, $110K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-11-25.
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.
82citations taken to the federal commission · 53% of citations on record
Settled
79 · 96%
Stood as issued
3 · 4%
95%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 38 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
50%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$222K proposed, $111K 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 2024-02-12.
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-5 Ailly Branch shows 100% of 108 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: 2025-07-16
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
108
samples
0.46
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.
72 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 36 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-5 Ailly Branch recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2024.
Injury rate, 2024
ⓘ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 3.16 and the all-US-mining average was 2.08 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 3.03 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
2024 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2023 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2022 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2017
3.73
3.73
0.000
2013 *
2.14
2.14
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)
2025
11
2024
10
2023
10
2022
12
2021
4
2020
8
2019
1
2018
5
2017
39
130,722
2016
7
26,258
2015
0
2014
0
2013
31
255,198
2012
34
159,693
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
S-5 Ailly Branch sits in Buchanan County, Virginia, where the Census mining category is 11.2% 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.
Buchanan County, Virginia · Population 19,857
11.2%
Mining share of county employment
$42,216
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
2025 Q1
6,194
0
0
0.0
2024 Q4
7,596
0
0
0.0
2024 Q3
6,586
2
0
303.7
2024 Q2
4,800
2
0
416.7
2024 Q1
4,699
0
0
0.0
2023 Q4
4,324
2
0
462.5
2023 Q3
5,552
2
0
360.2
2023 Q2
6,072
0
0
0.0
Show 39 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2023 Q1
6,592
4
2
606.8
2022 Q4
7,081
0
0
0.0
2022 Q3
5,140
0
0
0.0
2022 Q2
5,035
1
0
198.6
2022 Q1
6,046
0
0
0.0
2021 Q4
2,487
0
0
0.0
2021 Q3
360
0
0
0.0
2021 Q2
100
0
0
0.0
2021 Q1
0
0
0
2020 Q4
4,200
1
0
238.1
2020 Q3
4,800
1
1
208.3
2019 Q1
105
0
0
0.0
2018 Q4
1,698
0
0
0.0
2018 Q3
2,380
5
0
2100.8
2018 Q2
2,555
2
1
782.8
2018 Q1
4,810
4
0
831.6
2017 Q4
4,810
1
0
207.9
2017 Q3
31,568
0
0
0.0
2017 Q2
32,111
31
14
965.4
2017 Q1
38,689
27
13
697.9
2016 Q4
13,143
3
1
228.3
2016 Q3
336
0
0
0.0
2016 Q2
0
0
0
2016 Q1
0
0
0
2015 Q4
0
0
0
2015 Q3
0
0
0
2015 Q2
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
0
0
2013 Q4
19,427
0
0
0.0
2013 Q3
22,377
2
1
89.4
2013 Q2
23,991
10
3
416.8
2013 Q1
27,767
3
3
108.0
2012 Q4
31,791
9
6
283.1
2012 Q3
29,386
8
5
272.2
2012 Q2
13,479
2
1
148.4
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
6 on file
2020 · 2 incidents
December 18, 2020VA · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Civil, LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Employee was loosening a bolt with a wrench and cheater pipe when the bolt broke loose the employee left thumb was caught between the machine
Employee was on EE's grease truck, pumping grease in barrels. EE had 3 point contact but lost EE's grip with right hand, causing EE to fall from 4th step, landing on frozen ground. EE's right shoulder was injured, with bruising & swelling. Doctor has EE off work.
2013 · 2 incidents
June 18, 2013VA · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS