Samples Mine Highwall Miner has $8K in proposed MSHA penalties and $453 outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
3
Years on record
2010–2026
Latest incident
Jul 2026
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2006
46
citations
7
significant & substantial
$8,431
proposed penalties
$7,647
paid to date
91% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $784 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.
46 citations across 1,692 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Samples Mine Highwall Miner has $8K in proposed MSHA penalties and $453 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.
$8K
proposed penalties
$8K
current assessed
$8K
paid to date
$453
outstanding
45 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $1K in penalties contested before the Commission, $780 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-05-19.
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.
1citations taken to the federal commission · 2% of citations on record
Settled
1 · 100%
0%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 1 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
30%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$1K proposed, $780 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 2012-08-03.
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 Samples Mine Highwall Miner shows 100% of 158 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: 2026-05-18
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
158
samples
0.50
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.
158 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER47
AUGER OPERATOR30
UTILITY MAN20
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.
Samples Mine Highwall Miner recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2025.
Injury rate, 2025
ⓘ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 3.19 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 3.89 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
2025 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2024 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2022 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2021 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2019 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2016 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2015 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2014 *
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.
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)
2026
10
9,324
2025
8
31,137
2024
11
31,798
2023
11
60,276
2022
14
66,591
2021
10
84,224
2020
8
19,848
2019
10
31,570
2018
8
135,105
2017
10
105,440
2016
11
160,242
2015
12
146,374
2014
10
146,020
2013
6
139,915
2012
5
90,983
2011
5
108,271
2010
5
109,517
2009
7
226,154
2008
11
220,591
2007
14
282,966
2006
14
129,637
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Samples Mine Highwall Miner sits in Kanawha County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 1.9% 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.
Kanawha County, West Virginia · Population 178,198
1.9%
Mining share of county employment
$58,887
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
2026 Q2
7,422
3
0
404.2
2026 Q1
7,263
0
0
0.0
2025 Q4
5,675
0
0
0.0
2025 Q3
623
0
0
0.0
2025 Q2
6,615
0
0
0.0
2025 Q1
10,876
0
0
0.0
2024 Q4
6,200
0
0
0.0
2024 Q3
7,559
0
0
0.0
Show 71 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2
1,782
0
0
0.0
2024 Q1
7,535
1
0
132.7
2023 Q4
10,003
0
0
0.0
2023 Q3
9,936
1
0
100.6
2023 Q1
6,220
0
0
0.0
2022 Q4
10,296
0
0
0.0
2022 Q3
5,398
1
0
185.3
2022 Q2
8,147
0
0
0.0
2022 Q1
9,206
0
0
0.0
2021 Q4
7,295
0
0
0.0
2021 Q3
1,840
0
0
0.0
2021 Q2
7,453
2
0
268.3
2021 Q1
7,368
0
0
0.0
2020 Q4
2,360
0
0
0.0
2020 Q3
1,773
0
0
0.0
2020 Q2
5,984
1
0
167.1
2020 Q1
6,680
0
0
0.0
2019 Q4
11,818
0
0
0.0
2019 Q3
8,723
0
0
0.0
2019 Q2
8,528
0
0
0.0
2019 Q1
1,245
0
0
0.0
2018 Q4
3,219
0
0
0.0
2018 Q3
4,584
0
0
0.0
2018 Q2
4,778
0
0
0.0
2018 Q1
6,093
1
0
164.1
2017 Q4
2,960
0
0
0.0
2017 Q3
2,331
3
0
1287.0
2017 Q2
7,372
0
0
0.0
2017 Q1
3,741
0
0
0.0
2016 Q4
6,557
3
0
457.5
2016 Q3
7,017
0
0
0.0
2016 Q2
7,201
0
0
0.0
2016 Q1
7,423
0
0
0.0
2015 Q4
8,301
0
0
0.0
2015 Q3
7,820
0
0
0.0
2015 Q2
7,552
0
0
0.0
2015 Q1
6,052
1
0
165.2
2014 Q4
6,610
0
0
0.0
2014 Q3
7,304
0
0
0.0
2014 Q2
7,784
0
0
0.0
2014 Q1
7,185
0
0
0.0
2013 Q4
5,647
1
0
177.1
2013 Q3
3,085
0
0
0.0
2013 Q2
3,439
1
0
290.8
2013 Q1
3,559
1
0
281.0
2012 Q4
3,077
0
0
0.0
2012 Q3
3,223
0
0
0.0
2012 Q2
3,518
1
0
284.3
2012 Q1
3,501
1
0
285.6
2011 Q4
2,828
2
0
707.2
2011 Q3
3,451
0
0
0.0
2011 Q2
3,410
0
0
0.0
2011 Q1
3,477
0
0
0.0
2010 Q4
2,622
0
0
0.0
2010 Q3
3,314
1
0
301.8
2010 Q2
3,558
0
0
0.0
2010 Q1
3,584
3
0
837.1
2009 Q4
1,836
0
0
0.0
2009 Q3
3,828
0
0
0.0
2009 Q2
7,189
1
0
139.1
2009 Q1
7,584
0
0
0.0
2008 Q4
6,686
2
0
299.1
2008 Q3
7,220
0
0
0.0
2008 Q2
8,974
3
0
334.3
2008 Q1
8,952
4
3
446.8
2007 Q4
8,158
2
1
245.2
2007 Q3
11,228
0
0
0.0
2007 Q2
11,134
0
0
0.0
2007 Q1
10,749
0
0
0.0
2006 Q4
9,395
0
0
0.0
2006 Q3
9,027
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
3 on file
2026 · 1 incident
July 17, 2026WV · Coalminer, prospector, necMACHINERY
Employee was sitting on a bucket using a torch to cut links out of a chain on the surface high wall miner. Employee stated they felt their foot get hot. Employee stated they had a small red spot on left foot big toe at the joint. Employee went to seek medical treatment 2 days after the incident.
2018 · 1 incident
May 18, 2018WV · Coaldriller, highwall operator, highwall drill operatorHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Employee states that EE was extending the tripod legs out on the transit and as EE extended the legs EE felt a pop in EE's elbows and forearm. Employee was seen by doctor on 5/20/2018 and was given Modified work duty.
2010 · 1 incident
June 1, 2010WV · Coaldriller, highwall operator, highwall drill operatorHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Injured employee was handling a sixty inch long, 6 1/2 inch diameter piece of drill steel used to anchor the highwall miner when he slipped and fell. The end of the employee's left pinky finger was mashed between the steel he was handling and the steel structure of the highwall miner.