Mining Incidents

Branham & Baker Underground Corp: 1 recorded fatality operator

Controlled by Donn A Chickering
MSHA operator ID: P23765

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Fatalities
1
Total incidents
310
Mines on record
12
Years on record
1997–2001
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
327
citations
161
significant & substantial
$37,629
proposed penalties
$37,171
paid to date
99% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $458 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
205
inspections on record
6,650
inspection hours
4.9
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.
327 citations across 6,650 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.
$38K
proposed penalties
$38K
current assessed
$37K
paid to date
$458
outstanding
319 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2001-10-29.
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.
50.3%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
50.3%
reasonably likely or greater
4.7%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 23.8% low, 76.2% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
Injury rate, 2001
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.
13.75
total case rate
11.60
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 6.94 and the all-US-mining average was 5.26 cases per 100 workers.
Year total case rate days-away fatal
2001 13.75 11.60 0.000
2000 12.87 11.95 0.000
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.
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: 2001-10-29, 24 years ago
95%
within 1.5 mg/m3
1,287
samples
7.16
dust max (mg/m3)
650 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 637 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR640
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)155
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR101

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2001-10-31, 24 years ago
7.1
silica avg (%)
102
samples
33.1
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR61

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: 2001-08-22, 25 years ago
6%
over PEL
115
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)21
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR19
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR19
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Top causes

Incident timeline

2001
43
2000
49
1999
57
1998
102 (1f)
1997
59

Mines on record

Fatalities under this operator

1 recorded
June 11, 1998 KY · Coal continuous miner operator, coal mole operator Fatality · FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Branham & Baker Underground Corp · Struck by falling object

VICTIM (MINER OPERATOR) POSITIONED HIMSELF IN A LOCATION THAT HAD A PIECE OF ROCK BREAK LOOSE FROM THE ROOF, WHICH APPARENTLY CAUGHT THE VICTIM AS IT FELL, CAUSING FATAL INJURIES.

For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants

Where Branham & Baker Underground Corp stands on silica, penalties, and injury rate

MSHA's standard limits respirable silica to 50 micrograms per cubic metre, but MSHA publishes dust and quartz as separate files and never the silica figure itself. We derive it per sample, score it against the limit, and set the operator's injury rate against a benchmark built from the full MSHA operator record. With the 26-year penalty trail, contest posture, and fatality history. Delivered as a PDF with the underlying data as CSV.

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