Virginia Point No. 1 Surface Mine has $51K in proposed MSHA penalties and $151 outstanding across 8 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
16
Years on record
2009–2026
Latest incident
Mar 2026
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2008
204
citations
45
significant & substantial
$50,561
proposed penalties
$45,799
paid to date
91% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $4,762 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.
204 citations across 4,142 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Virginia Point No. 1 Surface Mine has $51K in proposed MSHA penalties and $151 outstanding across 8 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.
$51K
proposed penalties
$46K
current assessed
$46K
paid to date
$151
outstanding
195 assessments are final orders; 8 contested dockets.
Of $14K in penalties contested before the Commission, $10K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-07-14.
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.
15citations taken to the federal commission · 7% of citations on record
Settled
14 · 93%
Vacated or withdrawn
1 · 7%
75%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 8 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
33%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$14K 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 2023-11-27.
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 Virginia Point No. 1 Surface Mine shows 100% of 486 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: 2026-06-30
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
486
samples
1.48
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.
266 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 220 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.
Virginia Point No. 1 Surface Mine recorded 0.00 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.
0.00
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.19 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 2.97 cases per 100 workers that year.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2025
0.00
0.00
0.000
2024
1.75
0.00
0.000
2023
0.00
0.00
0.000
2022 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2021 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2020 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2019
1.96
0.00
0.000
2018 *
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.
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
55
103,991
2025
52
202,455
2024
47
196,293
2023
40
192,495
2022
23
111,506
2021
8
40,031
2020
16
50,673
2019
43
173,545
2018
11
36,583
2017
3
42,949
2016
6
24,645
2015
12
71,014
2014
78
426,728
2013
114
410,946
2012
115
711,304
2011
91
601,946
2010
80
575,177
2009
77
488,891
2008
20
95,255
2007
5
25,579
2006
8
7,243
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Virginia Point No. 1 Surface Mine sits in Tazewell County, Virginia, where the Census mining category is 3.1% 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.
Tazewell County, Virginia · Population 39,933
3.1%
Mining share of county employment
$45,788
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
2026 Q2
31,145
3
2
96.3
2026 Q1
33,952
2
0
58.9
2025 Q4
25,728
1
0
38.9
2025 Q3
28,436
0
0
0.0
2025 Q2
27,503
1
0
36.4
2025 Q1
31,273
0
0
0.0
2024 Q4
30,170
0
0
0.0
2024 Q3
29,091
0
0
0.0
Show 71 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2
27,188
0
0
0.0
2024 Q1
27,627
3
1
108.6
2023 Q4
25,006
0
0
0.0
2023 Q3
25,661
6
2
233.8
2023 Q2
32,200
0
0
0.0
2023 Q1
28,558
0
0
0.0
2022 Q4
18,319
0
0
0.0
2022 Q3
19,109
0
0
0.0
2022 Q2
12,366
7
0
566.1
2022 Q1
10,555
4
0
379.0
2021 Q4
12,665
0
0
0.0
2021 Q3
7,050
0
0
0.0
2021 Q2
517
0
0
0.0
2021 Q1
758
0
0
0.0
2020 Q4
310
0
0
0.0
2020 Q3
0
0
0
2020 Q2
4,043
1
0
247.3
2020 Q1
26,518
2
0
75.4
2019 Q4
31,715
0
0
0.0
2019 Q3
22,074
0
0
0.0
2019 Q2
31,655
2
0
63.2
2019 Q1
16,453
2
0
121.6
2018 Q4
10,152
0
0
0.0
2018 Q3
5,888
0
0
0.0
2018 Q2
4,598
0
0
0.0
2018 Q1
6,846
0
0
0.0
2017 Q4
1,300
0
0
0.0
2017 Q3
1,350
0
0
0.0
2017 Q2
300
0
0
0.0
2017 Q1
1,637
0
0
0.0
2016 Q4
3,239
0
0
0.0
2016 Q3
1,722
1
0
580.7
2016 Q2
4,444
0
0
0.0
2016 Q1
4,495
2
0
444.9
2015 Q4
2,234
0
0
0.0
2015 Q3
1,695
0
0
0.0
2015 Q2
7,080
1
0
141.2
2015 Q1
12,429
0
0
0.0
2014 Q4
23,025
6
0
260.6
2014 Q3
37,028
0
0
0.0
2014 Q2
59,546
4
0
67.2
2014 Q1
92,446
4
3
43.3
2013 Q4
57,482
0
0
0.0
2013 Q3
54,471
2
1
36.7
2013 Q2
55,478
4
1
72.1
2013 Q1
77,965
7
2
89.8
2012 Q4
75,803
0
0
0.0
2012 Q3
74,875
5
0
66.8
2012 Q2
81,919
1
0
12.2
2012 Q1
85,302
7
0
82.1
2011 Q4
89,051
0
0
0.0
2011 Q3
67,224
4
2
59.5
2011 Q2
59,750
0
0
0.0
2011 Q1
61,641
4
0
64.9
2010 Q4
52,562
2
1
38.1
2010 Q3
52,469
0
0
0.0
2010 Q2
50,220
14
5
278.8
2010 Q1
46,132
0
0
0.0
2009 Q4
56,648
6
1
105.9
2009 Q3
38,426
0
0
0.0
2009 Q2
14,167
7
1
494.1
2009 Q1
62,877
0
0
0.0
2008 Q4
34,143
9
0
263.6
2008 Q3
13,628
4
0
293.5
2008 Q2
0
0
0
2008 Q1
7,536
6
2
796.2
2007 Q4
7,495
0
0
0.0
2007 Q3
0
0
0
2007 Q2
1,418
0
0
0.0
2007 Q1
3,033
0
0
0.0
2006 Q4
400
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
16 on file
2026 · 1 incident
March 9, 2026VA · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Employee was assisting another employee in moving a mobile hose crimp machine when the machine became unstable and overturned, striking the injured in the left ankle resulting in a fracture to the area
2024 · 1 incident
September 4, 2024VA · Coalhaul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driverALL OTHER OCCUPATIONAL ILLNESSES
Employee was laying on their back replacing a fuel filter on a pick up truck. They loosed the line and gas spilled out onto their face. A small amount of gas got under their glasses and into the left eye. The eye was flushed & washed, they suffered no damage to the eye. Employee was prescribed medication that makes this event reportable.
2017 · 1 incident
June 12, 2017VA · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techMACHINERY
Team member lost grip on a pneumatic torque wrench causing it to slip in hand. When it did it caused the team member's right thumb to hit the side of the wheel that the member was working on.
2014 · 1 incident
June 20, 2014VA · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Technician was working under a 992G. Raised up and struck his head on the hydraulic tank, causing his hard hat to drive his safety glasses into his forehead causing a laceration. Required 6 stitches to close the laceration on the bridge of his nose.
EE an employee of Virco Inc. cut a tree that fell striking another ee. Requiring to be transported by ambulance to Bluefield Hospital with injuries to his shoulder and ribs. The accident took place on Saturday Sept 29, 2012 at approximately 2:45pm.
June 13, 2011VA · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Extra Energy, Inc. · Absorption of radiations, caustics, toxic and noxious substances
Employee was replacing coolant temp sensor on 992G Wheel Loader. When sensor was removed, hot antifreeze sprayed onto employee causing burns to his pelvic areas.
2010 · 2 incidents
December 20, 2010VA · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)