Mining Incidents

Willisneck #1 Mine: 39 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

RJ Bush Hogging Inc · Surface
Controlled by Robin L McDaniel
VANCEBORO, Craven County, NC  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 3102239

Willisneck #1 Mine has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
2
Years on record
2012–2018
Latest incident
Feb 2018
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2009
39
citations
8
significant & substantial
$4,617
proposed penalties
$4,617
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2009
50
inspections on record
434
inspection hours
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: 434 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Willisneck #1 Mine has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 1 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.
$5K
proposed penalties
$5K
current assessed
$5K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
32 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $971 in penalties contested before the Commission, $0 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-12-16.
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.
20.5%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
20.5%
reasonably likely or greater
51.3%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 7.7% low, 92.3% moderate, 0.0% 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.
1 citations taken to the federal commission · 3% of citations on record
  • Vacated or withdrawn 1 · 100%
0%
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 1 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
100%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$971 proposed, $0 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 2009-11-18.
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
SE 2010-158M Withdrawal Bulluck 2011 $971 → $0
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
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.

Metal and nonmetal contaminants (personal samples)
Many samples are screening measurements of substances with no applicable exposure limit; they are counted as samples but excluded from every over-limit figure. Over-limit shares use only limit-tested samples.

Last sampled: 2025-09-23
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
17
samples
2
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg13
  • Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz2
  • Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz2
Show the individual readings (17)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2025-09-23 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Truck Driver
2025-09-23 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Backhoe Operator
2025-09-23 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2023-09-25 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Truck Driver
2023-09-25 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2023-09-25 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2022-07-12 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2022-07-12 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Truck Driver
2022-07-12 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Backhoe Operator
2019-06-26 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Backhoe Operator
2019-06-26 Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.17 10 0.02 Front-end Loader Operator
2019-06-26 Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.97 10 0.10 Front-end Loader Operator
2014-05-01 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Truck Driver
2014-05-01 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.24 Front-end Loader Operator
2014-05-01 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Backhoe Operator
2014-05-01 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2009-04-28 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.26 Backhoe Operator
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly. Metal/nonmetal contaminant figures come from MSHA's Personal Health Samples and Area Samples files (public record), updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. RJ Bush Hogging Inc 2008 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 11
2025 12
2024 10
2023 10
2022 10
2021 10
2020 10
2019 12
2018 12
2017 11
2016 13
2015 13
2014 13
2013 13
2012 15
2011 11
2010 10
2009 9
2008 10
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Willisneck #1 Mine sits in Craven County, North Carolina, where the Census mining category is 0.6% 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.
Craven County, North Carolina · Population 101,074
0.6%
Mining share of county employment
$64,635
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 4,483 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 4,039 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 3,916 1 0 255.4
2025 Q3 4,108 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 4,085 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 3,773 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 3,962 1 0 252.4
2024 Q3 4,204 0 0 0.0
Show 63 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 4,128 0 0 0.0
2024 Q1 4,032 0 0 0.0
2023 Q4 4,097 1 0 244.1
2023 Q3 4,069 0 0 0.0
2023 Q2 4,048 0 0 0.0
2023 Q1 3,904 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 3,218 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 3,511 1 1 284.8
2022 Q2 3,512 0 0 0.0
2022 Q1 3,492 0 0 0.0
2021 Q4 3,604 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 4,416 0 0 0.0
2021 Q2 3,964 0 0 0.0
2021 Q1 3,713 0 0 0.0
2020 Q4 3,826 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 3,422 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 3,460 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 3,148 0 0 0.0
2019 Q4 3,105 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 3,244 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 3,568 1 0 280.3
2019 Q1 4,031 0 0 0.0
2018 Q4 3,700 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 4,032 1 0 248.0
2018 Q2 4,255 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 4,085 1 0 244.8
2017 Q4 4,218 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 4,126 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 3,969 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 4,112 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 3,908 1 1 255.9
2016 Q3 4,365 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 4,720 1 0 211.9
2016 Q1 4,555 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 6,120 1 0 163.4
2015 Q3 2,600 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 5,003 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 4,381 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 4,666 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 4,212 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 4,559 2 0 438.7
2014 Q1 3,843 1 0 260.2
2013 Q4 4,167 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 4,595 8 1 1741.0
2013 Q2 4,686 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 4,190 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 3,664 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 4,038 3 1 742.9
2012 Q2 4,783 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 4,479 2 1 446.5
2011 Q4 3,811 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 3,763 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 4,109 2 1 486.7
2011 Q1 3,475 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 2,986 2 1 669.8
2010 Q3 3,363 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 3,520 1 0 284.1
2010 Q1 2,698 0 0 0.0
2009 Q4 3,132 1 0 319.3
2009 Q3 3,284 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 3,390 2 0 590.0
2009 Q1 3,573 5 1 1399.4
2008 Q4 2,745 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

2 on file

2018 · 1 incident

2012 · 1 incident

May 3, 2012 NC · Metal/Non-Metal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
RJ Bush Hogging Inc · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was changing screens on Screener and misstepped off catwalk and twisted his ankle.