Mining Incidents

Surface Mine #1: 17 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by Michael Blubaugh
Middlesboro, Claiborne County, TN  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 4003027

Surface Mine #1 has $2K 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
1
Years on record
2016
Latest incident
Feb 2016
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2015
17
citations
4
significant & substantial
$2,043
proposed penalties
$2,043
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2015
16
inspections on record
224
inspection hours
n/a
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: 224 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Surface Mine #1 has $2K 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.
$2K
proposed penalties
$2K
current assessed
$2K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
17 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2016-08-23.
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.
23.5%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
23.5%
reasonably likely or greater
23.5%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 5.9% low, 94.1% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Surface Mine #1 shows 100% of 17 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: 2016-08-23, 10 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
17
samples
1.48
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.
12 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 5 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR6
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR4
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER3

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: 2016-08-23, 10 years ago
0%
over PEL
10
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR4
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER2
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR2
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
2016 100% 9
2015 100% 8
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2016 0% 5
2015 0% 5
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Surface Mine #1 recorded 9.12 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2016.

Injury rate, 2016
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.
9.12
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.79 and the all-US-mining average was 2.59 cases per 100 workers.
In Tennessee, coal mining averaged 2.49 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.
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. Appolo Fuels Inc 1990 to 2014
  2. Little Rock Mining Inc 1991 to 1997
  3. Middlesboro Mining Operations, Inc. 2014 to 2016
  4. Double Mountain Mining LLC 2016 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)
2019 1
2018 1
2017 0
2016 12 86,359
2015 29 40,072
2000 0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Surface Mine #1 sits in Claiborne County, Tennessee, where the Census mining category is 1.0% 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.
Claiborne County, Tennessee · Population 32,221
1.0%
Mining share of county employment
$46,587
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
2019 Q3 0 0 0
2019 Q2 1,472 0 0 0.0
2019 Q1 0 0 0
2018 Q4 1,120 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 1,120 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 0 0 0
2017 Q4 0 0 0
2017 Q3 0 0 0
Show 10 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2017 Q2 0 0 0
2017 Q1 0 0 0
2016 Q4 0 0 0
2016 Q3 7,128 5 0 701.5
2016 Q2 6,178 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 8,618 2 2 232.1
2015 Q4 16,289 5 2 307.0
2015 Q3 7,868 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 0 0 0
2000 Q1 0 0 0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2016 · 1 incident

February 18, 2016 TN · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Middlesboro Mining Operations, Inc. · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was trying to move chain on drill into place using a pry bar. The pry bar slipped striking employee on face causing a laceration. Employee was taken to E.R. where they glued it closed. Employee returned to work.