Mining Incidents

Motivation Coal Company: 1 recorded fatality operator

Controlled by Pittston Company
MSHA operator ID: P17471

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Fatalities
1
Total incidents
66
Mines on record
17
Years on record
1986–2002
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
28
citations
14
significant & substantial
$2,511
proposed penalties
$2,456
paid to date
98% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $55 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
80
inspections on record
1,444
inspection hours
1.9
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.
28 citations across 1,444 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.
$3K
proposed penalties
$2K
current assessed
$2K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
26 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $55 in penalties contested before the Commission, $0 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2002-11-19.
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.
51.9%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
59.3%
reasonably likely or greater
14.8%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 22.2% low, 77.8% moderate, 0.0% 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.
0.00
total case rate
0.00
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 0.00 0.00 0.000
2001 1.69 1.13 0.000
2000 3.51 3.51 0.703
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: 2002-11-19, 23 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
68
samples
0.71
dust max (mg/m3)
67 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 1 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR17
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR15
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER13

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2002-03-18, 24 years ago
17.8
silica avg (%)
15
samples
49.2
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR6
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR5
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE2

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
9%
over PEL
33
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR8
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER8
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR5
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 20020025 Withdrawal 2002 $55 → $0
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

Top causes

Incident timeline

2002
1
2001
5
2000
6 (1f)
1999
7
1998
5
1997
5
1996
6
1995
5
1994
4
1993
6
1992
3
1991
6
1990
2
1989
2
1988
2
1986
1

Mines on record

Fatalities under this operator

1 recorded
June 2, 2000 VA · Coal mine manager, mine foreman, mine owner Fatality · POWERED HAULAGE
Motivation Coal Company · Struck by powered moving object

FOREMAN WAS FATALLY INJURED WHEN HE WAS CRUSHED WITH THE REAR WHEELS OF A LOADED FORD 9000 COAL TRUCK. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED WHEN THE VICTIM BENT OVER TO MOVE A WATER HOSE AND WAS CRUSHED BY T HE REAR WHEELS OF THE COAL TRUCK MOVING IN REVERSE TOWARD THE RAW COAL BINS.

For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants

Where Motivation 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.

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