Viper Coal LLC 6# has $346K in proposed MSHA penalties and $337K outstanding across 9 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
2
Years on record
2010–2011
Latest incident
Mar 2011
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2008
418
citations
198
significant & substantial
$345,697
proposed penalties
$8,427
paid to date
2% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $337,270 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.
418 citations across 2,178 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Viper Coal LLC 6# has $346K in proposed MSHA penalties and $337K outstanding across 9 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.
$346K
proposed penalties
$346K
current assessed
$8K
paid to date
$337K
outstanding
392 assessments are final orders; 9 contested dockets.
Of $89K in penalties contested before the Commission, $89K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2012-05-10.
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.
86citations taken to the federal commission · 21% of citations on record
Settled
6 · 7%
Stood as issued
80 · 93%
100%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 42 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$89K proposed, $89K 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 2011-04-26.
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 Viper Coal LLC 6# shows 97% of 116 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: 2012-05-18, 14 years ago
97%
within 1.5 mg/m3
116
samples
4.32
dust max (mg/m3)
63 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 53 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.
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)
2012
7
4,300
2011
4
1,816
2010
10
26,022
2009
2
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Viper Coal LLC 6# sits in Floyd County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 4.4% 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.
Floyd County, Kentucky · Population 35,342
4.4%
Mining share of county employment
$41,582
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
2012 Q1
1,200
18
6
15000.0
2011 Q4
2,880
13
7
4513.9
2011 Q3
480
2
0
4166.7
2011 Q2
2,160
3
1
1388.9
2011 Q1
1,320
7
2
5303.0
2010 Q4
2,100
30
12
14285.7
2010 Q3
4,165
35
20
8403.4
2010 Q2
2,308
64
29
27729.6
Show 3 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2010 Q1
12
3
0
250000.0
2009 Q3
720
49
20
68055.6
2009 Q2
280
52
34
185714.3
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
2 on file
2011 · 1 incident
March 14, 2011KY · Coallaborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scalerPOWERED HAULAGE