S-6 Little Creek has $22K in proposed MSHA penalties and $7K outstanding across 5 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
12
Years on record
1997–2014
Latest incident
Feb 2014
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2002
74
citations
16
significant & substantial
$21,557
proposed penalties
$13,104
paid to date
61% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $8,453 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.
74 citations across 1,306 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
S-6 Little Creek has $22K in proposed MSHA penalties and $7K 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.
$22K
proposed penalties
$20K
current assessed
$13K
paid to date
$7K
outstanding
71 assessments are final orders; 5 contested dockets.
Of $5K in penalties contested before the Commission, $4K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2015-10-08.
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.
5citations taken to the federal commission · 7% of citations on record
Settled
5 · 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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 3 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
26%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$5K proposed, $4K 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 2015-03-04.
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-6 Little Creek shows 100% of 97 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: 2015-12-09, 10 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
97
samples
1.06
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.
78 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 19 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-6 Little Creek recorded 0.00 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.
0.00
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below 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 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2014 *
2.09
2.09
0.000
2013
3.70
1.85
0.000
2012
3.38
3.38
0.000
2011
1.57
1.57
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
1
2015
8
45,266
2014
31
345,297
2013
36
505,321
2012
38
461,527
2011
42
633,355
2010
9
2004
3
2003
3
2002
3
2000
0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
S-6 Little Creek sits in Letcher County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 3.5% 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.
Letcher County, Kentucky · Population 21,146
3.5%
Mining share of county employment
$40,501
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 Q2
0
0
0
2016 Q1
1,932
0
0
0.0
2015 Q4
1,965
2
0
1017.8
2015 Q3
1,902
0
0
0.0
2015 Q2
4,012
2
0
498.5
2015 Q1
12,704
4
1
314.9
2014 Q4
19,770
0
0
0.0
2014 Q3
20,850
4
1
191.8
Show 22 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2014 Q2
27,596
0
0
0.0
2014 Q1
27,679
1
1
36.1
2013 Q4
26,916
1
0
37.2
2013 Q3
26,614
5
0
187.9
2013 Q2
26,214
1
1
38.1
2013 Q1
28,430
5
2
175.9
2012 Q4
28,464
0
0
0.0
2012 Q3
29,377
0
0
0.0
2012 Q2
30,011
3
0
100.0
2012 Q1
30,445
0
0
0.0
2011 Q4
29,442
0
0
0.0
2011 Q3
31,830
0
0
0.0
2011 Q2
37,429
2
0
53.4
2011 Q1
28,332
0
0
0.0
2010 Q4
4,470
0
0
0.0
2004 Q1
546
0
0
0.0
2003 Q4
443
0
0
0.0
2003 Q2
2,767
0
0
0.0
2003 Q1
1,627
0
0
0.0
2002 Q4
2,345
4
1
1705.8
2000 Q2
0
0
0
2000 Q1
0
0
0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
12 on file
2014 · 1 incident
February 14, 2014KY · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON