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Switchback Loadout: 65 MSHA citations Coal

Onyx Energy, LLC · Facility
Elkhorn, Mcdowell County, WV  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 4609441

Switchback Loadout has $13K in proposed MSHA penalties and $6K outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
2
Years on record
2013–2026
Latest incident
Feb 2026
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2012
65
citations
14
significant & substantial
$12,617
proposed penalties
$6,908
paid to date
55% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $5,709 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Onyx Energy, LLC's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2012
38
inspections on record
788
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: 788 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Switchback Loadout has $13K in proposed MSHA penalties and $6K 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.
$13K
proposed penalties
$13K
current assessed
$7K
paid to date
$6K
outstanding
58 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-06-16.
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.
21.9%
significant & substantial
1.6%
high negligence or reckless
21.9%
reasonably likely or greater
46.9%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 59.4% low, 39.1% moderate, 1.6% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Switchback Loadout shows 100% of 71 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: 2026-06-16
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
71
samples
0.60
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.
71 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER38
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR10
  • UTILITY MAN9

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: 2025-11-17
0%
over PEL
47
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER24
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR6
  • UTILITY MAN6
See US mines ranked by noise samples over the legal limit.
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
2026 100% 3
2025 100% 8
2024 100% 2
2023 100% 7
2022 100% 2
2021 100% 6
2020 100% 9
2019 100% 5
2018 100% 3
2017 100% 6
2016 100% 8
2015 100% 2
2014 100% 5
2013 100% 5
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2025 0% 6
2023 0% 5
2021 0% 3
2020 0% 6
2019 0% 3
2018 0% 3
2017 0% 6
2016 0% 8
2014 0% 2
2013 0% 5
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Switchback Loadout recorded 0.00 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.
0.00
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
No reportable injury cases in any year shown. Employee-hours were reported in each of those years, so these are true zeros rather than missing data. Citations, listed in the compliance record above, are inspector-found violations and are counted separately from worker injuries.
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.79 and the all-US-mining average was 2.59 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 6.22 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. Onyx Energy, LLC 2012 to present
  2. Star Services, LLC 2013 to 2022
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 6
2025 5
2024 4
2023 4
2022 5
2021 5
2020 4
2019 5
2018 5
2017 3
2016 16 118,940
2015 5 25,664
2014 3
2013 3
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Switchback Loadout sits in McDowell County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 13.0% 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.
McDowell County, West Virginia · Population 18,413
13.0%
Mining share of county employment
$29,980
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
2026 Q2 2,233 6 3 2687.0
2026 Q1 1,887 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 2,311 3 1 1298.1
2025 Q3 2,376 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 2,888 5 0 1731.3
2025 Q1 2,396 3 0 1252.1
2024 Q4 2,122 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 2,212 0 0 0.0
Show 44 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 2,570 0 0 0.0
2024 Q1 2,758 0 0 0.0
2023 Q4 2,838 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 2,747 0 0 0.0
2023 Q2 2,522 0 0 0.0
2023 Q1 2,803 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 2,813 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 3,338 0 0 0.0
2022 Q2 3,388 0 0 0.0
2022 Q1 3,511 0 0 0.0
2021 Q4 3,582 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 3,696 2 0 541.1
2021 Q2 3,446 0 0 0.0
2021 Q1 3,619 0 0 0.0
2020 Q4 3,459 3 0 867.3
2020 Q3 3,703 6 0 1620.3
2020 Q2 3,556 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 3,150 3 1 952.4
2019 Q4 3,409 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 3,641 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 4,840 3 0 619.8
2019 Q1 4,746 1 0 210.7
2018 Q4 2,483 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 3,353 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 3,750 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 2,985 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 2,399 10 4 4168.4
2017 Q3 2,558 2 0 781.9
2017 Q2 3,152 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 1,814 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 0 1 0
2016 Q3 28,075 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 18,036 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 12,518 1 0 79.9
2015 Q4 5,938 1 0 168.4
2015 Q3 2,751 1 0 363.5
2015 Q2 1,474 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 2,313 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 2,288 1 0 437.1
2014 Q3 2,419 1 0 413.4
2014 Q2 1,867 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 1,541 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 1,722 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 1,091 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

2 on file

2026 · 1 incident

February 2, 2026 WV · Coal car trimmer, car loader, bin puller, truck loader SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Onyx Energy, LLC · Fall to the walkway or working surface

Worker was throwing a switch at the loadout and slip and fell and broke a small bone in EE's foot.

2013 · 1 incident

May 2, 2013 WV · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Onyx Energy, LLC · Fall to the walkway or working surface

Loose ground and employee fell injuring his left hand when trying to catch himself. Employee sought medical treatment on 5/2/13 and x-rays were negative and return to work 5/3/13. Employee on modified duty until 5/9/13 no lost time.