Tams No.1 Surface Mine has $195K in proposed MSHA penalties and $20K outstanding across 30 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
18
Years on record
1999–2025
Latest incident
Jun 2025
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
389
citations
123
significant & substantial
$195,150
proposed penalties
$127,391
paid to date
65% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $67,759 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.
389 citations across 3,169 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Imminent-danger orders
ⓘA Section 107(a) order removes miners from an area when an inspector finds an imminent danger. Each order is lifted once the condition is corrected, so this counts orders issued, not orders now in effect.
2
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2011-06-01.
On record since 2011.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
Tams No.1 Surface Mine has $195K in proposed MSHA penalties and $20K outstanding across 30 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.
$195K
proposed penalties
$147K
current assessed
$127K
paid to date
$20K
outstanding
360 assessments are final orders; 30 contested dockets.
Of $153K in penalties contested before the Commission, $95K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-07-29.
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.
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.
213citations taken to the federal commission · 55% of citations on record
Settled
195 · 92%
Stood as issued
16 · 8%
Vacated or withdrawn
2 · 1%
80%
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 76 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
38%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$153K proposed, $95K 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 2025-02-13.
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 Tams No.1 Surface Mine shows 99% of 119 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: 2025-09-18
99%
within 1.5 mg/m3
119
samples
1.58
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.
96 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 23 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.
Tams No.1 Surface Mine recorded 3.19 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2025.
Injury rate, 2025
ⓘ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.
3.19
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
About average. The US coal mining average was 3.19 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 3.89 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
2025 *
3.19
0.00
0.000
2017 *
10.00
5.00
0.000
2016 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2015
4.16
2.78
0.000
2014 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2013
3.00
3.00
0.000
2012 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2011 *
2.33
2.33
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)
2026
18
9,454
2025
33
33,315
2024
24
3,077
2023
0
2022
0
2021
0
2020
0
2019
1
2018
2
2017
36
101,359
2016
35
58,668
2015
70
174,366
2014
18
60,856
2013
60
290,422
2012
42
136,556
2011
38
61,479
2010
40
46,285
2005
2
2004
7
91,508
2003
2
3,800
2002
10
31,385
2001
10
40,089
2000
16
46,790
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Tams No.1 Surface Mine sits in Raleigh County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 4.0% 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.
Raleigh County, West Virginia · Population 73,666
4.0%
Mining share of county employment
$52,055
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
Tams Management, Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Setting center pin in place, EE's fingers were underneath the head pin. When pin slid into the bore the EE's fingers got smashed between the head of the pin & bore.
February 7, 2017WV · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Climbing step ladder to put a fill hose into the hydraulic tank of a Caterpillar 789 dump truck when the ladder broke, employee grabbed the fill nozzle with right hand hurting right shoulder
January 13, 2017WV · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Shocks on rear engine hood were broke, lube driver lifted hood while EE picked up crib block to rest hood on. Hood slipped out of lube drivers hand striking EE on the right shoulder knocking down causing a contusion.
January 10, 2017WV · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Employee allegedly twisted ankle when dismounting a Rock Truck on 1/2/2017 but did not miss any time, work modified duty, or receive any medical treatment until 1/21/2017.
Truck was loaded with dirt and rock, leaving the pit area and came through a swag in the road. Rock shifted to left tail shoot causing the bed to rise and throwing the front end of the truck up. Truck bounced on tires and box slammed down shattering passenger side window.
April 29, 2013WV · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
EMPLOYEE WAS OPERATING A DOZER TO RECLAIM AN EXISTING HIGHWALL. WHILE PUSHING DIRT OVER RELAIM AREA, THE DOZER TURNED SIDEWAYS AND ROLLED OVER HILL. EMPLOYEE WAS WEARING SEATBELT.