Whitetail Preparation Facility has $7K in proposed MSHA penalties and $50 outstanding across 4 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
10
Years on record
1999–2001
Latest incident
Oct 2001
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
69
citations
26
significant & substantial
$6,652
proposed penalties
$6,104
paid to date
92% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $548 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.
69 citations across 1,818 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Whitetail Preparation Facility has $7K in proposed MSHA penalties and $50 outstanding across 4 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.
$7K
proposed penalties
$6K
current assessed
$6K
paid to date
$50
outstanding
61 assessments are final orders; 4 contested dockets.
Of $2K in penalties contested before the Commission, $1K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2011-04-07.
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.
5citations taken to the federal commission · 7% of citations on record
Settled
2 · 40%
Stood as issued
3 · 60%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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%
32%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$2K proposed, $1K 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 2010-01-05.
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 Whitetail Preparation Facility shows 96% of 127 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: 2013-12-11, 12 years ago
96%
within 1.5 mg/m3
127
samples
4.35
dust max (mg/m3)
115 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 12 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.
Whitetail Preparation Facility recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2009.
Injury rate, 2009
ⓘ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
No reportable injury cases in any year shown. Employee-hours were reported in each of those years, so these are true zeros rather than missing data. Citations, listed in the compliance record above, are inspector-found violations and are counted separately from worker injuries.
Below average. The US coal mining average was 4.16 and the all-US-mining average was 3.36 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 4.29 cases per 100 workers that year.
Under 100,000 employee-hours were reported that year, so a single case moves the rate by two or more. Read the figure as approximate.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2009 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2008 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2007 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2006 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2005 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2004 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2003
0.00
0.00
0.000
2002
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
Year
Employees
2017
1
2016
1
2015
2
2014
2
2013
2
2012
2
2011
3
2010
3
2009
16
2008
47
2007
45
2006
43
2005
44
2004
49
2003
48
2002
49
2001
48
2000
28
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Whitetail Preparation Facility sits in Preston County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 5.1% 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.
Preston County, West Virginia · Population 34,204
5.1%
Mining share of county employment
$61,373
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
THE EMPLOYEE WAS SLIDING A PIECE OF WALKWAY IN THE BED OF SHOP TRUCK. THE PIECE OF WALKWAY CAME TO A SUDDEN STOP CAUSING THE EMPLOYEE TO BUMP HIS CHIM ON THE WALKWAY AND CHIP HIS FRONT TOOTH. NOTE: WAS NOT NOTIFIED ABOUT INJURY UNTIL 12/18/01.
February 10, 2001WV · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techMACHINERY
THE ROAD WAS SNOW COVERED AND ICY. IT HAD BEEN ASHED RECENTLY. THE DRIVER STARTED DOWN THE HILL TO THE PLANT WHEN IT JUST TOOK OFF AND OVERTURNED. HE WAS CUT ON THE EAR AND HIS SHOULDER WAS BR UISED.
SINCE 4/15/00, EMPLOYEE HAD EXPERIENCE SOME PAIN ONCE IN A WHILE IN HIS BACK & RIGHT LEG, BUT ON 7/5/00--WHEN HE CLIMBED INTO HIS TRUCK TO GO HOME--HE FELT SEVERE PAIN IN BACK & RIGHT LEG, SO HE WENT TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
THE INJURED PERSON WAS CLIMBING DOWN FROM THE RIGID/STATIONARY SCAFFOLDING, MISTEPPED AND FELL 3-4' TO THE CONCRETE FLOOR, RESULTING INJURY TO HIS LEFT KNEECAP, HAND AND RIGHT ANKLE.
1999 · 2 incidents
October 6, 1999WV · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanHANDLING OF MATERIALS
WHILE PICKING UP DINNER BUCKET AS ANOTHER EE REACHED FOR DINNER BUCKET, INJURED'S FINGER GOT CAUGHT IN HANDLE AS EES WENT SEPARATE DIRECTIONS, PULLING FINGER OUT OF SOCKET.