Mining Incidents

Wynn Branch #1: 20 MSHA citations Coal

Guage, Breathitt County, KY  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1518218

Wynn Branch #1 has $3K in proposed MSHA penalties and $231 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
4
Years on record
2000–2001
Latest incident
Oct 2001
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
20
citations
14
significant & substantial
$2,557
proposed penalties
$2,326
paid to date
91% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $231 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
31
inspections on record
480
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: 480 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Wynn Branch #1 has $3K in proposed MSHA penalties and $231 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.
$3K
proposed penalties
$3K
current assessed
$2K
paid to date
$231
outstanding
20 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2003-07-16.
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.
70.0%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
70.0%
reasonably likely or greater
25.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 20.0% low, 80.0% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Wynn Branch #1 shows 100% of 78 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: 2003-06-18, 23 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
78
samples
1.16
dust max (mg/m3)
75 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 3 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER22
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE21
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR19

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: 2002-06-11, 24 years ago
11%
over PEL
28
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE10
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER6
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR5
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
2003 100% 12
2002 100% 16
2001 100% 26
2000 100% 24
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2002 0% 8
2001 10% 10
2000 20% 10
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Wynn Branch #1 recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2003.

Injury rate, 2003
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 5.87 and the all-US-mining average was 4.43 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 6.65 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
2003 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2002 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2001 5.95 3.97 0.000
2000 1.99 1.99 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.
Ownership history
  1. Miller Brothers Coal Inc 1999 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)
2003 25 209,371
2002 35 553,576
2001 36 658,844
2000 32 764,019
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Wynn Branch #1 sits in Breathitt County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 2.3% 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.
Breathitt County, Kentucky · Population 13,438
2.3%
Mining share of county employment
$41,101
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
2003 Q4 1,850 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 6,363 1 0 157.2
2003 Q2 24,822 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 24,430 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 25,182 1 0 39.7
2002 Q3 24,817 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 21,796 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 24,859 1 1 40.2
Show 8 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2001 Q4 24,237 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 25,155 5 5 198.8
2001 Q2 25,309 0 0 0.0
2001 Q1 26,083 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 23,972 5 5 208.6
2000 Q3 28,144 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 24,648 2 1 81.1
2000 Q1 23,711 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

4 on file

2001 · 3 incidents

October 5, 2001 KY · Coal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer MACHINERY
Miller Brothers Coal Inc · Struck against a moving object

OPERATOR WAS SETTING ON THE FILL WHEN A ROCK TRUCK BACKED INTO OPERATORS DOZER. OPERATOR COMPLAINED OF NECK, BACK & LEG PAIN. HE WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL.

September 28, 2001 KY · Coal front-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operator POWERED HAULAGE
Miller Brothers Coal Inc · Struck against a moving object

OPERATOR WAS OPERATING A LOADER AND HIT A ROCK WITH HIS BUCKET PRETTY HARD. WHEN HE DID THIS ITJERKED HIS NECK. HE COMPLAINED OF NECK AND BACK PAIN IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE ACCIDENT.

February 15, 2001 KY · Coal truck driver SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Miller Brothers Coal Inc · Fall from machine

EMPLOYEE WAS CLIMBING DOWN FROM ROCK TRUCK. EE SLIPPED ON STEP NEXT TO BUMPER OF THE ROCK TRUCK, CAUSING HIM TO LAND ON THE GROUND.

2000 · 1 incident

May 8, 2000 KY · Coal blaster, shooter, shotfirer, explosive worker, powder gang/monkey SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Miller Brothers Coal Inc · Fall from machine

EMPLOYEE JUST COMPLETED A SHOT AND WAS GETTING INTO HIS TRUCK WITH MUD ON HIS FEET. HE SLIPPEDAND FELL, BREAKING HIS RIGHT LEG.