Mining Incidents

Coastal Coal Company, LLC: 1 recorded fatality operator

Controlled by El Paso Energy Corp
MSHA operator ID: P24015

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Fatalities
1
Total incidents
637
Mines on record
23
Years on record
1983–2003
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 1999
2,044
citations
1,012
significant & substantial
$345,969
proposed penalties
$309,289
paid to date
89% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $36,680 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
1,276
inspections on record
26,949
inspection hours
7.6
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.
2,044 citations across 26,949 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.
$346K
proposed penalties
$326K
current assessed
$309K
paid to date
$17K
outstanding
2,010 assessments are final orders; 9 contested dockets.
Of $124K in penalties contested before the Commission, $79K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2003-01-31.
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.
50.1%
significant & substantial
1.1%
high negligence or reckless
50.0%
reasonably likely or greater
8.1%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.2% none, 9.2% low, 89.5% moderate, 1.1% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
Injury rate, 2002
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.
5.54
total case rate
2.10
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 6.89 and the all-US-mining average was 5.05 cases per 100 workers.
Year total case rate days-away fatal
2002 5.54 2.10 0.000
2001 9.14 5.64 0.000
2000 12.18 10.58 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: 2003-01-31, 23 years ago
89%
within 1.5 mg/m3
4,390
samples
16.88
dust max (mg/m3)
2,054 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 2,336 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR1,807
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)389
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR241

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2003-02-06, 23 years ago
8.3
silica avg (%)
546
samples
29.7
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR208
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR6
  • CLEANUP MAN4

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: 2002-11-19, 23 years ago
18%
over PEL
270
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR48
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (INTAKE SIDE)40
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)38
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
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
VA 20000024 Settlement Feldman 2001 $60K → $35K
KENT20030143 Settlement Weisberger 2003 $25K → $17K
KENT20020219 Settlement Weisberger 2004 $18K → $11K
VA 20020050 Settlement Weisberger 2003 $7K → $3K
KENT20020302 Settlement Weisberger 2003 $6K → $6K
VA 20020021 Settlement Weisberger 2002 $4K → $3K
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

Top causes

Incident timeline

2003
4
2002
68
2001
111
2000
121
1999
108 (1f)
1998
89
1997
64
1996
11
1995
9
1994
5
1993
2
1992
1
1991
6
1990
7
1989
6
1988
6
1987
3
1986
3
1985
2
1984
3
1983
8

Mines on record

Fatalities under this operator

1 recorded
April 13, 1999 VA · Coal continuous miner operator, coal mole operator Fatality · FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Coastal Coal Company, LLC · Struck by falling object

IN THE SOUTH MAINS A ROOF FALL MEASURING APPROX 30'X35'X10' THICK TAPERING TO 0 OCCURED IN THE LAST INTERSECTION OF THE #2 ENTRY WHILE DEVELOPING THE FIRST OUT OF THE #2 CROSSCUT. THE ROOF FA LL ENTRAPPED THE VICTIM AND RESULTED IN FATAL INJURIES. A CONTINUOUS MINER ADN SHUTTLE CAR WERE INVOLVED IN THE FALL.

For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants

Where Coastal 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.

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