Valley Creek Mine No. 2: 1 recorded fatality
Coal
Clairfield,
Claiborne County,
TN
·
Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 4003231
Valley Creek Mine No. 2 has $725 in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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- Fatalities
- 1
- Total incidents
- 2
- Years on record
- 2004–2005
- Latest incident
- Jan 2005
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2004
2
significant & substantial
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2004
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: 628 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Valley Creek Mine No. 2 has $725 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.
10 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2005-01-25.
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.
20.0%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
20.0%
reasonably likely or greater
10.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 10.0% low, 90.0% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
MSHA sampling at Valley Creek Mine No. 2 shows 100% of 46 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: 2005-03-01, 21 years ago
30 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 16 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
- CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR19
- SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)8
- ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (INTAKE SIDE)4
Silica (quartz)
Last sampled: 2005-03-07, 21 years ago
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: 2004-11-02, 21 years ago
Most-sampled occupations
- SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)2
- HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER1
- ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)1
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 |
| 2005 |
100% |
20 |
| 2004 |
100% |
26 |
Silica (quartz) by year
| Year |
silica avg (%) |
samples |
| 2005 |
9.2 |
1 |
| 2004 |
13.5 |
1 |
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
-
Tennco Inc
2004 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) |
| 2005 |
8 |
20,455 |
| 2004 |
24 |
63,514 |
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Valley Creek Mine No. 2 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 |
| 2005 Q3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
| 2005 Q2 |
1,698 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
| 2005 Q1 |
6,990 |
3 |
1 |
429.2 |
| 2004 Q4 |
13,123 |
7 |
1 |
533.4 |
| 2004 Q3 |
3,756 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
Fatalities at this mine
1 recorded
December 21, 2004
TN · Coal
maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech
Fatality · MACHINERY
Tennco Inc · Struck by flying object
EE was changing tire on 10SC shuttle car, had new tire on and was finishing tightening bolts, when the tire exploded and the 2 safety rings struck the victim in the face, left hand and chest area.
Reportable incidents
1 on file (excluding fatalities above)
2005 · 1 incident
January 31, 2005
TN · Coal
shuttle car operator, mantrip operator, ramcar operator, rail runner, buggy operator
POWERED HAULAGE
Tennco Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
A rock pinned his hand against canopy.