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.
Rate withheld: 410 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Sugar Town Mine has $24K 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.
$24K
proposed penalties
$24K
current assessed
$24K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
75 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2011-08-29.
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 Sugar Town Mine shows 98% of 90 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: 2011-08-31, 15 years ago
98%
within 1.5 mg/m3
90
samples
2.24
dust max (mg/m3)
68 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 22 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.
Sugar Town Mine recorded 6.33 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2009.
Injury rate, 2009
ⓘ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.
6.33
total case rate
6.33
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 4.16 and the all-US-mining average was 3.36 cases per 100 workers.
In Alabama, coal mining averaged 5.70 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
2009 *
6.33
6.33
0.000
2008 *
2.93
2.93
0.000
2007 *
4.27
4.27
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)
2011
1
2010
17
81,352
2009
24
158,530
2008
26
162,050
2007
19
145,782
2006
14
46,628
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Sugar Town Mine sits in Walker County, Alabama, where the Census mining category is 3.3% 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.
Walker County, Alabama · Population 64,886
3.3%
Mining share of county employment
$54,509
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
2011 Q4
0
0
0
2011 Q3
1,544
4
0
2590.7
2011 Q2
0
0
0
2011 Q1
0
0
0
2010 Q3
2,574
0
0
0.0
2010 Q2
12,587
1
0
79.4
2010 Q1
13,965
0
0
0.0
2009 Q4
14,392
5
0
347.4
Show 14 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2009 Q3
16,418
0
0
0.0
2009 Q2
15,786
6
3
380.1
2009 Q1
16,574
2
2
120.7
2008 Q4
17,667
0
0
0.0
2008 Q3
18,736
0
0
0.0
2008 Q2
16,257
3
1
184.5
2008 Q1
15,540
8
1
514.8
2007 Q4
13,582
2
0
147.3
2007 Q3
11,659
0
0
0.0
2007 Q2
10,990
9
2
818.9
2007 Q1
10,554
0
0
0.0
2006 Q4
8,971
20
5
2229.4
2006 Q3
9,677
16
3
1653.4
2006 Q2
2,395
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
4 on file
2009 · 2 incidents
May 28, 2009AL · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerHANDLING OF MATERIALS