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Trace Fork 1 Mine: 468 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by Keri Alyssa Findley
Eolia, Letcher County, KY  ·  Temporarily Idled
MSHA Mine ID: 1519533

Trace Fork 1 Mine has $276K in proposed MSHA penalties and $5K outstanding across 22 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
12
Years on record
2012–2014
Latest incident
Dec 2014
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2011
468
citations
134
significant & substantial
$275,840
proposed penalties
$223,263
paid to date
81% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $52,577 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Cumberland Coal Corporation's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2011
75
inspections on record
6,342
inspection hours
7.4
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.
468 citations across 6,342 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.
1
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2012-05-16.
On record since 2012.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.

Trace Fork 1 Mine has $276K in proposed MSHA penalties and $5K outstanding across 22 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.
$276K
proposed penalties
$229K
current assessed
$223K
paid to date
$5K
outstanding
459 assessments are final orders; 22 contested dockets.
Of $176K in penalties contested before the Commission, $129K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2015-10-27.
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.
29.2%
significant & substantial
4.8%
high negligence or reckless
29.2%
reasonably likely or greater
18.5%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 7.6% low, 87.6% moderate, 4.8% high, 0.0% reckless.
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.
93 citations taken to the federal commission · 20% of citations on record
  • Settled 93 · 100%
95%
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 66 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
27%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$176K proposed, $129K 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 2015-02-25.
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.
Docket Decision Judge Year Proposed / upheld
KENT 2014-58 Settlement Moran 2014 $39K → $27K
KENT 2015-0188 Settlement Lesnick 2015 $26K → $18K
KENT 2013-76 Settlement Moran 2014 $14K → $10K
KENT 2014-0767 Settlement Barbour 2015 $11K → $8K
KENT 2013-781 Settlement Barbour 2014 $10K → $7K
KENT 2013-951 Settlement Barbour 2014 $10K → $7K
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Trace Fork 1 Mine shows 98% of 503 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: 2014-06-20, 12 years ago
98%
within 1.5 mg/m3
503
samples
4.00
dust max (mg/m3)
216 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 287 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR200
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR57
  • BELT MAN/CONVEYOR MAN39

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2014-04-15, 12 years ago
7.1
silica avg (%)
29
samples
12.4
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR3
  • BELT MAN/CONVEYOR MAN1
See US coal mines ranked by silica in their dust samples.

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: 2014-03-06, 12 years ago
24%
over PEL
99
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR24
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR12
  • TRACTOR OPERATOR/MOTORMAN11
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
2014 95% 80
2013 99% 170
2012 98% 176
2011 97% 77
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2014 6.0 3
2013 5.3 9
2012 7.8 10
2011 8.8 7
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2014 0% 5
2013 29% 35
2012 24% 33
2011 23% 26
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Trace Fork 1 Mine recorded 4.60 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.
4.60
total case rate
3.06
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.96 and the all-US-mining average was 2.93 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.63 cases per 100 workers that year.
Year total case rate days-away fatal
2014 4.60 3.06 0.000
2013 1.93 0.96 0.000
2012 3.55 3.55 0.000
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. Cumberland River Coal LLC 2010 to 2017
  2. Blackjewel L.L.C. 2017 to 2021
  3. Coking Coal, LLC 2021 to 2025
  4. Cumberland Coal Corporation 2025 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)
2025 1
2024 3
2023 3
2022 1
2017 0
2016 0
2015 4
2014 53 186,937
2013 82 375,524
2012 71 280,647
2011 37 151,381
2010 0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Trace Fork 1 Mine sits in Letcher County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 3.5% 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.
Letcher County, Kentucky · Population 21,146
3.5%
Mining share of county employment
$40,501
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
2025 Q3 100 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 160 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 300 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 440 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 1,942 0 0 0.0
2024 Q2 2,097 0 0 0.0
2024 Q1 1,496 0 0 0.0
2023 Q4 1,320 0 0 0.0
Show 33 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2023 Q3 1,295 0 0 0.0
2023 Q2 2,134 0 0 0.0
2023 Q1 1,734 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 1,688 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 0 0 0
2022 Q2 0 0 0
2017 Q3 0 0 0
2017 Q2 0 0 0
2017 Q1 0 0 0
2016 Q4 0 0 0
2016 Q3 0 0 0
2016 Q2 0 0 0
2016 Q1 0 0 0
2015 Q4 3,040 3 0 986.8
2015 Q3 1,494 2 0 1338.7
2015 Q2 1,483 1 0 674.3
2015 Q1 1,457 1 0 686.3
2014 Q4 1,908 2 0 1048.2
2014 Q3 11,478 5 1 435.6
2014 Q2 58,690 45 11 766.7
2014 Q1 58,485 50 6 854.9
2013 Q4 53,074 43 17 810.2
2013 Q3 53,582 35 13 653.2
2013 Q2 52,979 48 13 906.0
2013 Q1 47,685 46 14 964.7
2012 Q4 40,908 28 8 684.5
2012 Q3 41,135 34 10 826.5
2012 Q2 43,226 23 10 532.1
2012 Q1 43,611 29 9 665.0
2011 Q4 29,730 22 4 740.0
2011 Q3 25,296 18 2 711.6
2011 Q2 10,987 11 2 1001.2
2010 Q4 0 0 0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

12 on file

2014 · 7 incidents

December 15, 2014 KY · Coal FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Accident type, without injuries

A roof fall occurred on the Joe Day mains in the #6 entry between cross cut 33x34. The fall length was 50ft by 19 ft wide and 5ft thick.

May 17, 2014 KY · Coal shuttle car operator, mantrip operator, ramcar operator, rail runner, buggy operator STEPPING OR KNEELING ON OBJECT
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Struck against stationary object

Stepped on a block of coal and twisted his left knee. He continued working without restrictions until June,5 when a MRI showed a tear to his meniscus.

April 22, 2014 KY · Coal FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Accident type, without injuries

Found roof fall in the Joe Day Main #6 entry at 1:06 PM. The roof fall was approximately 20'w x 20' long x 10' high. All approaches have been dangered off and additional roof support has been placed in front of the fall.

March 31, 2014 KY · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) MACHINERY
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was installing roof bolts when he accidentally got struck on the cheek with a roof plate resulting in a laceration requiring 3 stitches.

February 24, 2014 KY · Coal bull gang foreman, labor foreman, leadman, section foreman, shift boss POWERED HAULAGE
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

Employees were using a scoop to move a roof bolter when one of the employees accidentally got his left arm between the scoop and the bolter resulting in a fracture to both bones in his left forearm.

2013 · 2 incidents

June 10, 2013 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was moving a continuous miner when he slipped straining his left knee. The employee continued working until he stopped to undergo knee surgery on July 12th. After the accident investigation was completed it was determined that the knee surgery was in fact due to the injury reported on June 10th.

January 11, 2013 KY · Coal laborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scaler DUST DISEASE OF LUNGS
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Inhalation of radiations, caustics, toxic and noxious substances

Employee has exercised his option rights under Part 90 as evidence of pneumoconiosis.

2012 · 3 incidents

November 6, 2012 KY · Coal laborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scaler POWERED HAULAGE
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Struck by powered moving object

Employee was inured on 11/06/12 when he stepped in front of a mantrip that struck his lower leg. He was later diagnosed on 11/28/2012 as having a chip in the tibula of his left leg, he began loosing time on 11/28/2012.

September 17, 2012 KY · Coal electrician, lineman STRIKING OR BUMPING
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Struck against stationary object

Employee was walking through a ventilation curtain when he bumped his head on a piece of roof bolter drill steel that was lodged in the coal rib. He continued to work without retractions until 10/10/12 at which time he began missing time.

March 29, 2012 KY · Coal electrician, lineman HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Cumberland River Coal LLC · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was taking cover off ram car in #6 entry when ratchet slipped and then caught, employee then felt sharp pain in left shoulder, he work till 5/1/12 then his doctor told him he was going to need shoulder surgical repair outpatient.