Mining Incidents

Salem #1: 16 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by James C Justice III
Danville, Boone County, WV  ·  Temporarily Idled
MSHA Mine ID: 4609058

Salem #1 has $1K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 1 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 2004
16
citations
8
significant & substantial
$1,430
proposed penalties
$1,430
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2004
25
inspections on record
211
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: 211 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Salem #1 has $1K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 1 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.
$1K
proposed penalties
$1K
current assessed
$1K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
14 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $343 in penalties contested before the Commission, $343 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2011-01-05.
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.
53.3%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
50.0%
reasonably likely or greater
35.7%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 7.1% low, 92.9% moderate, 0.0% 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.
2 citations taken to the federal commission · 13% of citations on record
  • Settled 2 · 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 2 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$343 proposed, $343 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 2011-05-17.
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
WEVA 2011-1730 Settlement Biro 2012 $343 → $343
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Salem #1 shows 100% of 11 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: 2009-03-23, 17 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
11
samples
0.39
dust max (mg/m3)
11 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • AUGER HELPER4
  • AUGER OPERATOR3
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER2

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: 2009-03-23, 17 years ago
29%
over PEL
7
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • AUGER OPERATOR2
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER2
  • AUGER HELPER1
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
2009 100% 2
2008 100% 2
2007 100% 2
2006 100% 2
2005 100% 3
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2009 0% 2
2008 0% 2
2007 100% 1
2006 50% 2
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. WCA Inc 2004 to 2014
  2. Kentucky Fuel Corporation 2014 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)
2020 0
2019 0
2018 0
2017 0
2016 0
2015 0
2014 1 4,677
2013 2
2012 2
2011 3 278
2010 4 14,379
2009 3 6,116
2008 2 1,064
2007 1 14,782
2006 1
2005 3 18,665
2004 2 13,512
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Salem #1 sits in Boone County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 10.1% 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.
Boone County, West Virginia · Population 21,312
10.1%
Mining share of county employment
$56,152
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
2020 Q2 0 0 0
2020 Q1 0 0 0
2019 Q4 0 0 0
2019 Q3 0 0 0
2019 Q2 0 0 0
2018 Q4 0 0 0
2018 Q3 0 0 0
2018 Q1 0 0 0
Show 48 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2017 Q4 0 0 0
2017 Q3 0 0 0
2017 Q2 0 0 0
2017 Q1 0 0 0
2016 Q4 0 0 0
2016 Q3 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 425 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 0 0 0
2013 Q4 1,568 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 1,407 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 1,381 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 1,491 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 1,250 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 1,142 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 1,427 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 1,588 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 1,041 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 1,316 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 1,593 3 2 1883.2
2010 Q4 1,898 0 0 0.0
2010 Q3 1,377 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 2,072 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 2,624 0 0 0.0
2009 Q4 1,974 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 936 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 1,411 0 0 0.0
2009 Q1 936 1 0 1068.4
2008 Q4 937 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 921 2 2 2171.6
2008 Q2 0 0 0
2008 Q1 471 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 1,427 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 0 0 0
2007 Q2 0 0 0
2007 Q1 0 3 2
2006 Q2 20 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 1,593 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 1,635 2 1 1223.2
2005 Q2 729 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 1,008 1 0 992.1
2004 Q4 1,315 1 1 760.5
2004 Q3 606 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.