Triad Poca 4 Seam Deep Mine: 148 MSHA citations
Coal
Vallscreek,
Mcdowell County,
WV
·
Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 4609591
Triad Poca 4 Seam Deep Mine has $109K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 3 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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- Fatalities
- 0
- Total incidents
- 3
- Years on record
- 2022
- Latest incident
- May 2022
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2021
27
significant & substantial
$109,192
proposed penalties
92% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $9,138 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2020
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: 698 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Triad Poca 4 Seam Deep Mine has $109K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 3 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.
146 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $19K in penalties contested before the Commission, $10K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2022-09-27.
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.
18.5%
significant & substantial
4.1%
high negligence or reckless
18.5%
reasonably likely or greater
27.4%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 41.8% low, 54.1% moderate, 4.1% 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.
12
citations taken to the federal commission · 8% of citations on record
67%
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 3 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
49%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$19K proposed, $10K 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 2022-03-28.
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 |
| WEVA 2022-0045 |
Settlement |
Bulluck |
2022 |
$8K → $5K |
| WEVA 2022-0263 |
Settlement |
Young |
2022 |
$7K → $3K |
| WEVA 2022-0088 |
Settlement |
Moran |
2022 |
$3K → $2K |
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
MSHA sampling at Triad Poca 4 Seam Deep Mine shows 100% of 329 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: 2022-09-23, 3 years ago
39 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 290 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
- CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR111
- SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)106
- ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)68
Silica (quartz)
Last sampled: 2022-09-30, 3 years ago
Most-sampled occupations
- CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR6
- ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)5
- SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)5
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: 2021-11-16, 4 years ago
Most-sampled occupations
- SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)3
- CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR2
- ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)2
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 |
| 2022 |
100% |
141 |
| 2021 |
99% |
188 |
Silica (quartz) by year
| Year |
silica avg (%) |
samples |
| 2022 |
4.8 |
9 |
| 2021 |
5.2 |
9 |
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Triad Poca 4 Seam Deep Mine recorded 3.81 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2022.
Injury rate, 2022
ⓘ
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.
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.26 and the all-US-mining average was 2.12 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 3.68 cases per 100 workers that year.
| Year |
total case rate |
days-away |
fatal |
| 2022 |
3.81 |
1.90 |
0.000 |
| 2021 * |
0.00 |
0.00 |
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.
Ownership history
-
Ramaco Resources, LLC
2020 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) |
| 2022 |
37 |
141,870 |
| 2021 |
26 |
163,720 |
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Triad Poca 4 Seam Deep Mine 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 |
| 2022 Q4 |
3,268 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
| 2022 Q3 |
36,656 |
21 |
6 |
572.9 |
| 2022 Q2 |
34,166 |
24 |
5 |
702.5 |
| 2022 Q1 |
30,938 |
22 |
5 |
711.1 |
| 2021 Q4 |
23,440 |
19 |
5 |
810.6 |
| 2021 Q3 |
22,049 |
25 |
1 |
1133.8 |
| 2021 Q2 |
19,345 |
11 |
3 |
568.6 |
| 2021 Q1 |
16,957 |
26 |
2 |
1533.3 |
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
3 on file
2022 · 3 incidents
Ramaco Resources, LLC · Accident type, without injuries
An unplanned non-injury roof fall occurred above anchorage on the MMU 001 section in the number 4 entry in-by spad #319. The fall approximately measured 8'high by 20'wide and 30'long.
April 25, 2022
WV · Coal
roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs)
MACHINERY
Ramaco Resources, LLC · Struck by falling object
Employee was installing roof bolts in the number two entry when a rock fell from the mine roof striking the employee on the head.
March 8, 2022
WV · Coal
beltman, conveyor man, conveyor belt worker, mobile bridge carrierman, feeder operator, conveyor rider
HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Ramaco Resources, LLC · Struck by flying object
Employee was making a belt splice and was striking the end of the splice with a hammer when a piece of metal broke loose and struck EE in the arm.