75% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $901,297 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2004
930
inspections on record
54,383
inspection hours
8.5
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.
4,646 citations across 54,383 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.
$3.7M
proposed penalties
$2.8M
current assessed
$2.8M
paid to date
$0
outstanding
4,581 assessments are final orders; 155 contested dockets.
Of $2.3M in penalties contested before the Commission, $1.4M was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2023-09-07.
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.
Injury rate, 2023
ⓘ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.
1.36
total case rate
0.68
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.17 and the all-US-mining average was 2.10 cases per 100 workers.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2023
1.36
0.68
0.000
2022
3.84
0.85
0.000
2021
1.51
1.01
0.000
2020
4.11
1.03
0.000
2019
6.67
2.38
0.000
2018
4.00
1.71
0.571
2017
5.33
4.00
0.444
2016
3.60
2.57
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: 2023-08-23, 3 years ago
97%
within 1.5 mg/m3
7,380
samples
6.74
dust max (mg/m3)
27
over MSHA ECV
ⓘThe excessive concentration value (ECV) is MSHA's own per-sample enforcement threshold, which builds in measurement uncertainty; a sample over its ECV can trigger a citation. The count covers only samples MSHA assigned an ECV.
1,750 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 5,630 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.
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.
1,041citations taken to the federal commission · 22% of citations on record
Settled
1,025 · 98%
Stood as issued
14 · 1%
Vacated or withdrawn
2 · 0%
84%
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 663 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
40%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$2.3M proposed, $1.4M 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 2023-12-03. Vacated and withdrawn citations are removed from the file this view attributes through, so that outcome is slightly undercounted here.
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 operator contested before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, with the outcome on record.
Carter Roag Coal Company · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Driver was at parked truck (#5 lot) to start pre-shift inspection. Truck started to move. Driver fell under the truck and truck ran over driver's legs from about the knee area down.
June 4, 2018WV · Coalshuttle car operator, mantrip operator, ramcar operator, rail runner, buggy operatorFatality · POWERED HAULAGE
Carter Roag Coal Company · Struck by flying object
Employee, and six other employees, was traveling from the west mains section to the surface at end of their shift on a ten person diesel mantrip when a 50-ton roof jack struck the employee on the right side of the head. Employee was immediately transported to the surface and flown to Ruby Memorial Hospital. Employee passed away on the evening of 6/5/18.
August 25, 2017WV · Coalexaminer, fire boss, pre-shift examiner, mine examinerFatality · POWERED HAULAGE
Carter Roag Coal Company · Fall onto or against objects
The employee was found unresponsive at approximately 2:05 PM on the offside of the #1 belt at the portal entrance of the surface mine. Preliminary findings has determined the employee received fatal injuries when coming in contact with the belt conveyor.
October 20, 2007WV · Coalelectrician, linemanFatality · POWERED HAULAGE
Carter Roag Coal Company · Caught in, under or between running or meshing objects
Victim was discovered caught between the conveyor belt and the continuous haulage dolley. Although the coroner report is not available, it appeared that the victim expired from injuries received from the event.
July 30, 2006WV · Coalhaul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driverFatality · EXPLODING VESSELS UNDER PRESSURE
Carter Roag Coal Company · Struck by flying object
Employee deliberately disobeyed warnings to cease welding on inflated floatation tire rim ten minutes before tire blew up. Heat from welding plus compression of air in tire equals massive explosion.
For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants
Where Carter Roag Coal Company 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.