Mining Incidents

KenAmerican Resources Inc: 2 recorded fatalities operator

Controlled by Robert E Murray
MSHA operator ID: P22938

Watch this operator

Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at any KenAmerican Resources Inc mine.

Fatalities
2
Total incidents
965
Mines on record
3
Years on record
1995–2019
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
6,205
citations
1,845
significant & substantial
$7,877,388
proposed penalties
$5,128,332
paid to date
65% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $2,749,056 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
1,266
inspections on record
74,364
inspection hours
8.3
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.
6,205 citations across 74,364 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.
$7.9M
proposed penalties
$5.6M
current assessed
$5.1M
paid to date
$509K
outstanding
6,086 assessments are final orders; 227 contested dockets.
Of $7.1M in penalties contested before the Commission, $4.7M was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2020-06-17.
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.
30.3%
significant & substantial
9.6%
high negligence or reckless
30.4%
reasonably likely or greater
9.5%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.1% none, 13.8% low, 76.4% moderate, 9.5% high, 0.1% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
Injury rate, 2019
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.
7.59
total case rate
3.04
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.39 and the all-US-mining average was 2.32 cases per 100 workers.
Year total case rate days-away fatal
2019 7.59 3.04 0.000
2018 4.40 2.94 0.000
2017 3.94 1.79 0.000
2016 3.27 1.09 0.000
2015 2.96 0.99 0.000
2014 3.34 0.83 0.000
2013 3.73 0.86 0.000
2012 6.08 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: 2020-05-14, 6 years ago
90%
within 1.5 mg/m3
7,714
samples
5.69
dust max (mg/m3)
46
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.
2,565 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 5,149 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR3,021
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)1,679
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)1,220

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2019-02-21, 7 years ago
1.6
silica avg (%)
632
samples
5.1
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR310
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)82
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)41

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: 2019-02-07, 7 years ago
14%
over PEL
689
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)142
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR115
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (INTAKE SIDE)97
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.
2,533 citations taken to the federal commission · 41% of citations on record
  • Settled 2,495 · 98%
  • Stood as issued 37 · 1%
  • Vacated or withdrawn 1 · 0%
94%
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 1,503 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
33%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$6.9M proposed, $4.6M 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 2020-08-13. 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
KENT 2012-490 Settlement Paez 2014 $508K → $301K
KENT 2020-0132 Dismissal Moran 2021 $273K → $273K
KENT 2013-424 Settlement Paez 2014 $197K → $123K
KENT 2020-0140 Dismissal Moran 2021 $194K → $194K
KENT 2009-1383 Settlement McCarthy 2011 $160K → $107K
KENT 2009-1090 Settlement McCarthy 2011 $155K → $97K
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

Top causes

Incident timeline

2019
10 (1f)
2018
23
2017
18
2016
16
2015
15
2014
16
2013
19
2012
33
2011
49
2010
47
2009
70
2008
61
2007
61
2006
71
2005
53
2004
74
2003
64
2002
43
2001
32
2000
32
1999
33
1998
46 (1f)
1997
36
1996
35
1995
8

Mines on record

Fatalities under this operator

2 recorded
July 31, 2019 KY · Coal welder (shop) Fatality · IGNITION OR EXPLOSION OF GAS OR DUST
KenAmerican Resources Inc · Struck by concussion

FMC employees were attempting to seal the hoist shaft at the Bremen Portal at Ken American Paradise Mine No. 9. Steel beams were welded in place metal decking was secured covering the shaft. Methane accumulated in the shaft and caused a series of two explosions 4-5 seconds apart. The second explosion killed FMC employee. No other fatalities or injuries occurred.

September 28, 1998 KY · Coal Fatality · FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
KenAmerican Resources Inc · Struck by falling object

WHILE HELPING TO INSTALL STEEL ARCHES A ROCK APPROXIMATELY 89"X33"X5"-14" DISLODGED FROM THE MINE ROOF STRIKING THE VICTIM

For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants

Where KenAmerican Resources Inc 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