Mining Incidents

Sandlick No. 1: 233 MSHA citations Coal

Tero-Therm Inc · Surface
Whitesburg, Letcher County, KY  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1518481

Sandlick No. 1 has $27K in proposed MSHA penalties and $20K outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
2003
Latest incident
Jun 2003
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2002
233
citations
54
significant & substantial
$26,950
proposed penalties
$6,542
paid to date
24% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $20,408 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2002
84
inspections on record
1,903
inspection hours
12.2
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.
233 citations across 1,903 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Sandlick No. 1 has $27K in proposed MSHA penalties and $20K outstanding across 0 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.
$27K
proposed penalties
$27K
current assessed
$7K
paid to date
$20K
outstanding
229 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2019-01-15.
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.
23.6%
significant & substantial
7.0%
high negligence or reckless
23.6%
reasonably likely or greater
10.5%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 8.7% low, 84.3% moderate, 7.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Sandlick No. 1 shows 99% of 146 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: 2019-02-04, 7 years ago
99%
within 1.5 mg/m3
146
samples
1.62
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.
132 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 14 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE37
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR35
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER23

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2018-03-19, 8 years ago
17.6
silica avg (%)
8
samples
37.2
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR6
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR1
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE1

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: 2018-05-22, 8 years ago
7%
over PEL
67
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR19
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE18
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER12
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
2019 100% 1
2018 100% 18
2016 100% 2
2015 100% 17
2014 100% 14
2013 95% 19
2012 100% 4
2011 100% 6
2008 100% 7
2007 100% 10
2006 100% 13
2005 100% 12
2004 100% 14
2003 100% 7
2002 100% 2
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2018 18.4 2
2015 24.9 2
2008 13.8 1
2007 17.6 1
2005 15.1 1
2004 8.0 1
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2018 0% 12
2014 0% 11
2013 0% 7
2011 0% 5
2008 0% 3
2007 17% 6
2006 0% 5
2005 0% 4
2004 30% 10
2003 50% 2
2002 0% 2
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Sandlick No. 1 recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2007.

Injury rate, 2007
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 4.71 and the all-US-mining average was 3.77 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 5.12 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
2007 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2005 * 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. Kipar, Inc. 2001 to 2004
  2. Kannan Mining Co., Inc. 2004 to 2004
  3. Kipar Inc 2004 to 2004
  4. Jane Coal Inc 2004 to 2006
  5. Davidson Mining & Excavation LLC 2006 to 2011
  6. Red Bush Coal, LLC 2011 to 2012
  7. Halco Services, LLC 2012 to 2017
  8. SF Contracting LLC 2017 to 2019
  9. Tero-Therm Inc 2019 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 1
2016 1
2015 4 15,481
2014 5 17,080
2013 6 30,882
2012 12 7,788
2011 14 13,209
2010 0
2009 4 625
2008 8 29,006
2007 14 90,028
2006 18 13,155
2005 11 48,522
2004 12 20,418
2003 4 18,454
2002 3 13,209
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Sandlick No. 1 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
2017 Q3 0 0 0
2017 Q2 50 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 100 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 150 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 400 3 1 7500.0
2016 Q2 0 1 0
2016 Q1 0 0 0
2015 Q4 1,440 5 1 3472.2
Show 42 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2015 Q3 2,400 3 0 1250.0
2015 Q2 1,920 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 960 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 2,400 4 1 1666.7
2014 Q3 1,920 1 1 520.8
2014 Q2 1,280 9 0 7031.2
2014 Q1 750 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 2,800 1 0 357.1
2013 Q3 2,740 2 1 729.9
2013 Q2 2,600 4 1 1538.5
2013 Q1 2,400 5 2 2083.3
2012 Q1 5,835 24 4 4113.1
2011 Q4 14,043 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 4,841 12 3 2478.8
2010 Q1 0 0 0
2009 Q4 728 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 3,449 3 0 869.8
2009 Q1 1,280 3 1 2343.8
2008 Q4 4,667 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 5,236 12 1 2291.8
2008 Q2 3,880 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 5,568 7 1 1257.2
2007 Q4 7,622 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 10,440 5 2 478.9
2007 Q2 10,243 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 8,052 5 1 621.0
2006 Q4 20,000 3 2 150.0
2006 Q2 7,474 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 6,637 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 5,904 15 4 2540.7
2005 Q2 5,622 1 1 177.9
2005 Q1 3,577 6 2 1677.4
2004 Q2 1,827 4 0 2189.4
2004 Q1 4,920 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 1,718 3 0 1746.2
2003 Q3 1,966 2 0 1017.3
2003 Q2 2,439 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 1,855 4 1 2156.3
2002 Q4 1,860 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 1,830 1 0 546.4
2002 Q2 1,280 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 350 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2003 · 1 incident

June 9, 2003 KY · Coal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Kipar, Inc. · Struck by falling object

WORKING ON LOADER, SOMETHING WENT INTO EYE.