Mining Incidents

Birch River Energy, LLC operator

MSHA operator ID: 0051081
Fatalities
4
Total incidents
538
Mines on record
24
Years on record
2003–2023
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2003
4,465
citations
1,096
significant & substantial
$2,957,394
proposed penalties
$1,978,683
paid to date
67% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $978,711 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2003
1,532
inspections on record
70,650
inspection hours
6.3
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.
4,465 citations across 70,650 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Penalty disposition
Differences between proposed and paid penalties reflect both settlements and conference reductions and amounts still owed. Outstanding is the balance currently owed.
$3.0M
proposed penalties
$2.0M
current assessed
$2.0M
paid to date
$18K
outstanding
4,357 assessments are final orders; 267 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2023-09-14.
Source: MSHA assessed-violations and conference/litigation data, updated weekly.

Top causes

Incident timeline

2023
1
2020
1
2019
5
2018
2
2016
13
2015
16
2014
22
2013
49
2012
35
2011
48
2010
33
2009
50
2008
28
2007
46 (2f)
2006
59
2005
50
2004
45 (2f)
2003
35

Mines on record

Fatalities under this operator

4 recorded
January 13, 2007 WV · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) Fatality · FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Brooks Run Mining Company LLC · Struck by falling object

Two MRS operators were in No. 3 entry approximately 35 feet inby survey station 1037, when a piece of rock approximately 8 feet by 8 feet fell without warning out of the middle of the entry causing fatal crushing injuries to these employees. 3 roof bolts broke.

January 13, 2007 WV · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) Fatality · FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Brooks Run Mining Company LLC · Struck by falling object

Two MRS operators were in No. 3 entry approximately 35 feet inby survey station 1037, when a piece of rock approximately 8 feet by 8 feet fell without warning out of the middle of the entry causing fatal crushing injuries to these employees. 3 roof bolts broke.

April 3, 2004 WV · Coal continuous miner operator, coal mole operator Fatality · MACHINERY
Brooks Run Mining Company LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

Employee was pinned between the coal rib and the ripper head of the continuous miner as he was moving the miner from the 2 right crosscut to the 2 left crosscut by radio remote.

March 2, 2004 WV · Coal mine manager, mine foreman, mine owner Fatality · FALLING/SLIDING/ROLLING MATERIALS
Birch River Energy, LLC · Caught in, under or between collapsing material or buildings

PRELIMINARY INDICATIONS ARE THAT A PORTION OF THE STOCKPILE SLID, COVERING AN EMPLOYEE WHILE HE WAS DIRECTING A LOADER OPERATING DURING ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE MAINTENANCE ON AN UNDERGROUND RECLAIM FEEDER. THE EE WAS COVERED FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AND WAS PRONOUNCED DECEASED AT THE HOSPITAL.

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The full compliance file on Birch River Energy, LLC

A dated report covering the 26-year penalty trail, line-item violation pattern, contest and docket posture, rate-normalized peer benchmark, and full fatality history. Delivered as a PDF with the underlying data as CSV.