Mining Incidents

Pen Coal Corp: 1 recorded fatality operator

Controlled by Pen Holdings Inc
MSHA operator ID: P20719

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Fatalities
1
Total incidents
351
Mines on record
13
Years on record
1984–2002
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
287
citations
124
significant & substantial
$35,386
proposed penalties
$35,386
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
183
inspections on record
5,222
inspection hours
5.5
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.
287 citations across 5,222 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.
$35K
proposed penalties
$35K
current assessed
$35K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
283 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $55 in penalties contested before the Commission, $55 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2002-12-12.
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.
43.7%
significant & substantial
1.8%
high negligence or reckless
43.8%
reasonably likely or greater
14.8%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.4% none, 8.5% low, 89.4% moderate, 1.8% 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.
9.44
total case rate
8.39
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above 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 9.44 8.39 0.000
2001 5.26 4.51 0.000
2000 7.03 5.98 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: 2002-12-16, 23 years ago
90%
within 1.5 mg/m3
774
samples
5.61
dust max (mg/m3)
411 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 363 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR312
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)56
  • ROOF BOLTER (SINGLE HEAD)54

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2002-11-07, 23 years ago
8.8
silica avg (%)
71
samples
38.6
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR43
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR2
  • ELECTRICIAN1

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: 2001-11-28, 24 years ago
23%
over PEL
62
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR9
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER9
  • ROOF BOLTER (SINGLE HEAD)6
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
WEVA20010018 Prevail Bulluck 2001 $55 → $55
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

Top causes

Incident timeline

2002
28
2001
22
2000
31
1999
34
1998
30
1997
39
1996
25
1995
28
1994
26
1993
16
1992
7
1991
12
1990
19 (1f)
1989
14
1988
8
1986
7
1985
2
1984
3

Mines on record

Fatalities under this operator

1 recorded
August 7, 1990 KY · Coal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer Fatality · IGNITION OR EXPLOSION OF GAS OR DUST
Pen Coal Corp · Contact with hot objects or substances

EMPLOYEE WAS PUSHING SCRAP METAL WITH THE DOZER. A VALVE BROKE OFF A PROPANE TANK CAUSING PROPANE GAS TO LEAK INTO THE AIR. THIS ACCIDENT OCCURRED OFF THE PERMITTED AREA.

For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants

Where Pen Coal Corp 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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