Mining Incidents

Catenary Coal Company LLC: 6 recorded fatalities operator

Controlled by Patriot Coal Corporation
MSHA operator ID: P20655

Watch this operator

Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at any Catenary Coal Company LLC mine.

Fatalities
6
Total incidents
350
Mines on record
5
Years on record
1989–2015
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
672
citations
301
significant & substantial
$292,889
proposed penalties
$217,816
paid to date
74% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $75,073 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
263
inspections on record
16,804
inspection hours
4.0
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.
672 citations across 16,804 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.
$293K
proposed penalties
$223K
current assessed
$218K
paid to date
$5K
outstanding
652 assessments are final orders; 25 contested dockets.
Of $171K in penalties contested before the Commission, $99K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2015-08-19.
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.
45.7%
significant & substantial
2.7%
high negligence or reckless
46.7%
reasonably likely or greater
40.6%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 19.4% low, 77.9% moderate, 2.6% high, 0.2% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
Injury rate, 2015
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.
1.54
total case rate
1.02
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.76 and the all-US-mining average was 2.72 cases per 100 workers.
Year total case rate days-away fatal
2015 1.54 1.02 0.000
2014 1.14 0.85 0.000
2013 0.00 0.00 0.000
2012 0.00 0.00 0.000
2011 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2010 * 2.56 0.00 0.000
2009 0.37 0.00 0.000
2008 0.71 0.24 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.
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: 2015-10-19, 10 years ago
98%
within 1.5 mg/m3
518
samples
5.98
dust max (mg/m3)
0
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.
374 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 144 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR168
  • BLASTER/SHOOTER/SHOTFIRER62
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER62

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2015-06-25, 11 years ago
19.4
silica avg (%)
23
samples
47.0
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • BLASTER/SHOOTER/SHOTFIRER14
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR7
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR2

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: 2015-06-04, 11 years ago
10%
over PEL
116
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER24
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR18
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE18
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, 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.
30 citations taken to the federal commission · 4% of citations on record
  • Settled 28 · 93%
  • Stood as issued 2 · 7%
76%
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 21 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
40%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$81K proposed, $49K 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 2016-06-30. 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.
Docket Decision Judge Year Proposed / upheld
WEVA 2008-1614 Settlement 2011 $62K → $35K
WEVA 2004-164 Settlement Feldman 2004 $50K → $20K
WEVA20000001 Settlement Bulluck 2001 $11K → $10K
WEVA20020165 Settlement Feldman 2003 $9K → $7K
WEVA20020033 Settlement Feldman 2002 $7K → $5K
WEVA20020047 Settlement Melick 2002 $5K → $4K
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

Top causes

Incident timeline

2015
4
2014
6
2013
2
2010
5
2009
7 (1f)
2008
11
2007
28
2006
26
2005
16
2004
17 (1f)
2003
28
2002
29 (1f)
2001
23 (1f)
2000
26
1999
16
1998
20
1997
16
1996
12
1995
13
1994
28 (1f)
1993
10 (1f)
1992
5
1991
1
1989
1

Mines on record

Fatalities under this operator

6 recorded
July 28, 2009 WV · Coal haul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driver Fatality · POWERED HAULAGE
Catenary Coal Company LLC · Drowning

Employee was driving a loaded hauler when he backed the hauler into a pond with no hesitation.

December 2, 2004 WV · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman Fatality · MACHINERY
Catenary Coal Company LLC · Struck by falling object

Treecutter was cutting a tree that had another tree leaning into it. Cutter was fatally injured when the leaning tree fell on him.

December 26, 2002 WV · Coal greaser, grease man, oiler, lube man, dragline oiler Fatality · MACHINERY
Catenary Coal Company LLC · Struck by powered moving object

EMPLOYEE HAD FINISHED HIS SHIFT AS A DRAGLINE OILER. HE WAS SEEN LEAVING. AT SOME POINT, HE CAME BACK TO THE MACHINE. IT IS THEORIZED THAT HE CAME BACK FOR HIS CELL PHONE WHICH WAS DISCOV ERED LEFT BEHIND ON THE MACHINE. HE FAILED TO NOTIFY THE OPERATOR THAT HE WAS BACK AND HE WAS TO BOARD THE MACHINE. HE WAS APPARENTLY STRUCK BY THE RIGHT DRAGLINE SHOE WHILE BOARDING.

November 1, 2001 WV · Coal truck driver Fatality · POWERED HAULAGE
Catenary Coal Company LLC · Struck by powered moving object

DRIVER GOT OUT OF TRUCK, NOT SETTING PARK BRAKES, PULLED HAND BRAKE. WAS FOUND PASSENGER SIDE OF TRAILER WITH SERVICE LINE DISCONNECTED. DRIVER WAS LAYING ON GROUND HEAD TOWARD FRON OF TRUCK, TANDEMS HAD RUN OVER LEGS, STOMACH AND CHEST AREA. TRUCK WAS RUNNING AND HAD MOVED APPROXIMATELY 16' HITTING TRUCK IN FRONT.

January 7, 1994 WV · Coal haul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driver Fatality · FALLING/SLIDING/ROLLING MATERIALS
Catenary Coal Company LLC · Struck by falling object

A MUS SLIDE OCCURRED ON THE HAULROAD APPROXIMATELY 2000 FT UP FROM GUARD SHACK ON CANTENARY COAL CO'S RED WARRIOR MINE (4607178).THIS SLIDE RESULTED IN LIMBS BLOCKING THE HAULROAD PASSAGE.THE VICTIM GOT OUT OF HIS TRUCK AND WAS CUTTING THE DEBRIS OUT OF THE WAY WHEN ANOTHER TREE UPROOTED AND FELL STRIKING HIM ON THE HEAD.

April 23, 1993 WV · Coal haul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driver Fatality · POWERED HAULAGE
Catenary Coal Company LLC · Struck against a moving object

VICTIM WAS DRIVING A LOADED COAL TRUCK DOWN A ELEVATED ROAD WAY AND APPARENTLY TRIED TO SHIFT GEAR HE GO THE TRUCK IN NEUTRAL AND COULD NOT GET IT BACK IN GEAR WHILE GAINING EXCESSIVE SPEED.HE DROVE THE TRUCK INTO A STOCK PILE KILLING HIM INSTANTLY.

For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants

Where Catenary Coal Company LLC 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.

The federal record itself stays free on this site. What costs money, and why.

See a sample report
Need a different cut of the data? Ask us