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.
23 citations across 1,121 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
SHM-70 has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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.
$5K
proposed penalties
$5K
current assessed
$5K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
23 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-03-23.
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.
MSHA sampling at SHM-70 shows 100% of 64 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: 2026-06-11
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
64
samples
0.74
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.
64 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
AUGER OPERATOR15
FORKLIFT OPERATOR14
GROUNDMAN11
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.
SHM-70 recorded 7.48 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2024.
Injury rate, 2024
ⓘ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.
7.48
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.16 and the all-US-mining average was 2.08 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.17 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
2024 *
7.48
0.00
0.000
2023 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2022 *
21.50
21.50
0.000
2019 *
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
11
147,045
2025
8
116,735
2024
10
268,794
2023
10
382,555
2022
10
361,120
2021
4
180,464
2020
4
52,805
2019
9
224,528
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
SHM-70 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
The injured person was traveling down the haul road belonging to River Ridge P-1, 15-19895, to go home when the brakes failed and they jumped out of the vehicle causing injury to their right shoulder and laceration to their head.
Highwall miner was turning, something in the back right track popped and a piece of shrap flew approx 40ft striking EE in the right jaw below the mouth. there was an approx 3cm laceration with a small piece of shrap metal embedded that had to be removed at Pikeville PMC.
While doing repair work on miner push beams, Miner was welding the nuts holding pedestal on the push beam. When work was complete the miner slipped while stepping off, falling aprox 36" to the pit floor. while falling they reached out to catch themselves and landed on their wrist, breaking it in the process. Miner was wearing PPE which helped during the fall.
June 8, 2022KY · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanMACHINERY
The employee was using a hand held drill with an auger bit to remove debris from a connector pin hole on a highwall mining beam. The drill bit caught causing the drill to spin around and hit EE's right hand.
2021 · 1 incident
December 20, 2021KY · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Replacing the bottom edge plate on a push beam. After cutting the plate loose it slipped and pinned EE's left hand little finger between the plate and the frame of the push beam causing the laceration to the finger.