SHM 06 Highwall Miner has $23K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 2 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
9
Years on record
2018–2025
Latest incident
Jan 2025
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2011
82
citations
14
significant & substantial
$23,360
proposed penalties
$15,519
paid to date
66% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $7,841 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.
82 citations across 1,267 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
SHM 06 Highwall Miner has $23K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 2 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.
$23K
proposed penalties
$16K
current assessed
$16K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
82 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $13K in penalties contested before the Commission, $5K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-12-18.
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.
4citations taken to the federal commission · 5% of citations on record
Settled
4 · 100%
50%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 4 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
62%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$13K proposed, $5K 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 2025-06-25.
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 SHM 06 Highwall Miner shows 100% of 65 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: 2026-01-13
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
65
samples
1.09
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.
65 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
AUGER OPERATOR16
HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER15
AUGER HELPER11
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.
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
5
53,218
2025
5
93,291
2024
6
62,556
2023
5
59,861
2022
6
71,860
2021
6
72,072
2020
3
32,183
2019
5
40,243
2018
5
125,101
2017
5
49,424
2016
4
72,354
2015
5
142,161
2014
3
19,772
2011
10
16,734
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
SHM 06 Highwall Miner sits in Clay County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 5.5% 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.
Clay County, West Virginia · Population 7,946
5.5%
Mining share of county employment
$42,790
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
EE was putting chains on EE's pickup truck tires due to ice and snow. When EE stood up from locking the chains in place EE's boot stuck in the snow causing EE to twist and strain EE's right knee.
2024 · 1 incident
March 15, 2024WV · Coaloutside foreman, leadmanMACHINERY
The highwall miner has just been recommissioned to Little Pete's Branch and is being assembled. EE was tightening the bolts on the super beam at the front of the HWM with a 3/4" drive impact gun with a universal swivel extension. The extension failed and flew apart, pieces of it struck EE on the left side of EE's face causing injury to the left eye.
Employee was unhooking the shaft between the motor and the hydraulic pump to remove the planetary for repair. Employee was torqueing the connector with a wrench, when the connector broke loose their hand came in contact with a stainless-steel wire which entered the first knuckle of the middle right hand finger.
The incident was reported by EE on 09/15/2022. EE states that on May 11, 2022 was repairing a conveyor chain during the set up of the highwall miner at the Coal Mountain location when a shard of metal sheared off and embedded in EE's left leg near the knee. EE states was treated at Medical Center that evening where the metal shard was removed.
March 4, 2022WV · Coaldriller, highwall operator, highwall drill operatorMACHINERY
The T-Bar on the right rear track lifting cylinder broke causing the highwall miner to drop very fast and causing the operator to be jolted by the impact. The operator has a bruise on hip and a finger laceration. Operator was treated and released at a hospital.
2021 · 1 incident
July 10, 2021WV · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Employee was sitting pins in the latch coupling of the push beams. EE swung a 20 lb. sledge hammer to hit pin and it glanced off hitting EE's left ankle.
Employee stepped from the tool sled in the highwall miner pit and slipped on ice causing employee to fall and stove left hand and cut left thumb. Employee's right side was also scraped.