Mining Incidents

Sloan Mountain Mine: 130 MSHA citations Coal

Warrior, Jefferson County, AL  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 0103180

Sloan Mountain Mine has $28K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
4
Years on record
2007–2012
Latest incident
Jun 2012
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2005
130
citations
35
significant & substantial
$28,406
proposed penalties
$28,406
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2003
70
inspections on record
1,638
inspection hours
7.9
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.
130 citations across 1,638 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Sloan Mountain Mine has $28K 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.
$28K
proposed penalties
$28K
current assessed
$28K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
129 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2020-06-11.
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.
27.1%
significant & substantial
0.8%
high negligence or reckless
27.1%
reasonably likely or greater
7.8%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 9.3% low, 89.9% moderate, 0.8% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Sloan Mountain Mine shows 99% of 549 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: 2020-06-11, 6 years ago
99%
within 1.5 mg/m3
549
samples
3.82
dust max (mg/m3)
1
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.
269 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 280 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR271
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR169
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE54

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2019-02-12, 7 years ago
15.1
silica avg (%)
57
samples
27.8
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR41
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR15
  • 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: 2020-02-10, 6 years ago
1%
over PEL
117
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR36
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR31
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE23
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
2020 100% 4
2019 100% 20
2018 100% 45
2017 98% 45
2016 100% 49
2015 100% 45
2014 100% 27
2013 99% 82
2012 100% 39
2011 100% 25
2010 100% 23
2009 97% 33
2008 92% 38
2007 100% 31
2006 97% 30
2005 100% 8
2004 100% 5
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2019 5.9 1
2018 9.2 6
2017 18.5 4
2016 20.8 2
2015 14.1 5
2014 17.0 3
2013 19.3 10
2012 18.4 4
2011 16.0 5
2010 10.7 1
2009 12.9 2
2008 14.1 4
2007 15.3 4
2006 8.5 4
2005 14.3 2
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2020 0% 1
2019 0% 6
2018 0% 7
2017 0% 7
2016 0% 7
2015 0% 7
2013 0% 15
2011 0% 14
2010 8% 12
2008 0% 15
2007 0% 6
2006 0% 7
2005 0% 7
2004 0% 6
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Sloan Mountain Mine recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2018.

Injury rate, 2018
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
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.34 and the all-US-mining average was 2.33 cases per 100 workers.
In Alabama, coal mining averaged 3.65 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
2018 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2017 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
2013 0.00 0.00 0.000
2012 1.09 1.09 0.000
2011 1.45 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. M S & R Equipment Company Inc 2000 to 2021
  2. Best Coal Inc. 2021 to 2024
  3. Iron Eagle Land Rehabilitation, LLC 2024 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 2
2019 17 37,435
2018 36 220,827
2017 48 228,365
2016 54 234,852
2015 68 243,261
2014 79 332,587
2013 84 327,780
2012 78 306,174
2011 64 284,040
2010 59 327,895
2009 59 253,333
2008 48 196,868
2007 45 282,444
2006 42 242,896
2005 20 152,594
2004 19 112,992
2000 0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Sloan Mountain Mine sits in Jefferson County, Alabama, where the Census mining category is 0.3% 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.
Jefferson County, Alabama · Population 669,744
0.3%
Mining share of county employment
$64,589
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 Q1 766 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 1,436 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 11,107 0 0 0.0
2019 Q1 10,168 2 1 196.7
2018 Q4 21,919 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 25,591 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 21,069 7 3 332.2
2018 Q1 26,238 1 1 38.1
Show 56 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2017 Q4 33,812 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 31,071 2 1 64.4
2017 Q2 25,759 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 29,536 1 0 33.9
2016 Q4 25,010 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 33,139 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 31,618 3 0 94.9
2016 Q1 28,686 1 0 34.9
2015 Q4 37,530 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 34,292 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 41,207 1 0 24.3
2015 Q1 40,564 3 0 74.0
2014 Q4 51,726 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 49,758 3 1 60.3
2014 Q2 52,486 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 38,996 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 53,360 7 4 131.2
2013 Q3 45,640 1 0 21.9
2013 Q2 52,794 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 45,169 2 1 44.3
2012 Q4 55,840 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 46,512 10 2 215.0
2012 Q2 40,155 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 41,521 3 0 72.3
2011 Q4 39,300 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 33,011 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 35,027 5 2 142.7
2011 Q1 30,158 3 1 99.5
2010 Q4 34,267 0 0 0.0
2010 Q3 33,113 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 26,231 1 1 38.1
2010 Q1 28,753 1 0 34.8
2009 Q4 31,591 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 31,522 5 1 158.6
2009 Q2 30,521 0 0 0.0
2009 Q1 24,523 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 29,360 3 1 102.2
2008 Q3 31,108 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 23,102 2 0 86.6
2008 Q1 14,581 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 26,316 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 20,561 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 19,643 4 0 203.6
2007 Q1 21,516 11 2 511.2
2006 Q4 24,355 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 23,620 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 21,721 8 0 368.3
2006 Q1 18,101 7 2 386.7
2005 Q4 13,041 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 9,116 10 7 1097.0
2005 Q2 10,421 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 13,011 11 3 845.4
2004 Q4 11,564 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 12,001 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 3,017 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 0 0 0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

4 on file

2012 · 1 incident

June 13, 2012 AL · Coal welder (shop) MACHINERY
M S & R Equipment Company Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

Welder was lifting 1" steel tubing with autocrane to weld crack. While using left hand to operate crane remote, he rested his right hand on beam next to cable hook. Cable hook slipped and crushed finger nail segment of index finger between hook and steel tubing. End of index finger was almost completely severed and was not able to be re-attach.

2011 · 1 incident

September 21, 2011 AL · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDLING OF MATERIALS
M S & R Equipment Company Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

Was connecting the master link on the tracks on a D10 Bulldozer and the link flipped over and caught his finger.

2009 · 1 incident

May 1, 2009 AL · Coal drill operator SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
M S & R Equipment Company Inc · Fall from machine

Employee jumped from his working location. Jumped 6 to 8 feet to the ground. He made the statement that his feet was hurting. Co. supervisor took employee to clinic. Doctor said his heel was cracked and to stay off it for 4 weeks.

2007 · 1 incident

January 13, 2007 AL · Coal blaster, shooter, shotfirer, explosive worker, powder gang/monkey FALL OF FACE/RIB/PILLAR/SIDE/HIGHWALL
M S & R Equipment Company Inc · Struck by rolling or sliding object

Blaster was loading the inside row of blast holes with explosives when several rocks rolled down the highwall. One rock struck him in the right side of his forehead, resulting in a laceration requiring 10 sutures.