Hurley, Buchanan County,
VA
·
Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 4407211
Splashdam Mine has $112K in proposed MSHA penalties and $11K outstanding across 27 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
5
Years on record
2009–2015
Latest incident
Aug 2015
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2007
458
citations
125
significant & substantial
$111,855
proposed penalties
$80,789
paid to date
72% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $31,066 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.
458 citations across 5,037 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Splashdam Mine has $112K in proposed MSHA penalties and $11K outstanding across 27 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.
$112K
proposed penalties
$92K
current assessed
$81K
paid to date
$11K
outstanding
453 assessments are final orders; 27 contested dockets.
Of $60K in penalties contested before the Commission, $39K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2015-08-04.
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.
120citations taken to the federal commission · 26% of citations on record
Settled
111 · 93%
Vacated or withdrawn
9 · 8%
90%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 72 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
39%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$64K proposed, $39K 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 2014-06-15.
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 Splashdam Mine shows 98% of 524 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: 2014-05-07, 12 years ago
98%
within 1.5 mg/m3
524
samples
4.57
dust max (mg/m3)
249 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 275 by the operator.
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.
Splashdam Mine recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2014.
Injury rate, 2014
ⓘ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 3.96 and the all-US-mining average was 2.93 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 5.11 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
2014 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2013 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2012 *
8.31
8.31
0.000
2011 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2010 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2009 *
5.81
0.00
0.000
2008 *
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)
2015
2
2014
10
35,239
2013
13
40,511
2012
25
79,618
2011
24
134,039
2010
22
125,578
2009
18
115,844
2008
15
113,170
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Splashdam Mine sits in Buchanan County, Virginia, where the Census mining category is 11.2% 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.
Buchanan County, Virginia · Population 19,857
11.2%
Mining share of county employment
$42,216
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
Found roof fall in the no. 1 entry approx. 400 ft from the face. Fall occurred in the intersection. 20 ft wide, 20 ft long, 6 ft thick. This is active non-producing status. No coal being produced at this mine. No one was in the mine when the fall occurred.
2012 · 2 incidents
September 19, 2012VA · Coalbull gang foreman, labor foreman, leadman, section foreman, shift bossPOWERED HAULAGE
Cedar Creek Coal LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Employee was standing near slack in trailing cable of shuttle car, when operator started car the cable repositioned tripping employee.
July 10, 2012VA · Coallaborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scalerHANDLING OF MATERIALS
While re-positioning continuous miner ee & another ee was untangling miner cable ee was pulling on the rope that is used to pull the miner cable. EE told other ee he hurt his back.
2010 · 1 incident
January 14, 2010VA · Coallaborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scalerSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON