72% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $1,759,182 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2011
1,273
inspections on record
59,781
inspection hours
7.8
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.
4,691 citations across 59,781 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.
$6.2M
proposed penalties
$4.5M
current assessed
$4.4M
paid to date
$69K
outstanding
4,461 assessments are final orders; 178 contested dockets.
Of $5.0M in penalties contested before the Commission, $3.3M was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-06-17.
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.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
Injury rate, 2025
ⓘ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.
3.13
total case rate
1.04
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
About average. The US coal mining average was 3.19 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2026
3.45
1.15
0.000
2025
3.13
1.04
0.000
2024
2.83
1.42
0.236
2023
2.84
1.03
0.000
2022
4.63
1.85
0.000
2021
4.27
1.31
0.000
2020
2.40
2.06
0.000
2019
3.54
0.82
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: 2026-08-20
99%
within 1.5 mg/m3
16,563
samples
6.39
dust max (mg/m3)
17
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.
2,447 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 14,116 by the operator.
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.
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.
1,456citations taken to the federal commission · 31% of citations on record
Settled
1,413 · 97%
Stood as issued
2 · 0%
Still open
41 · 3%
89%
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 521 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
34%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$5.0M proposed, $3.3M 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 2026-07-08. 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.
Pocahontas Coal Company, LLC · Struck by powered moving object
Employee was out of their truck and on the pit floor while the 993 (LD270) Loader was being trouble shot trying to find a leaking hose. While walking to their 785 truck the employee traveled under the bucket of the 993 loader and was struck causing severe crushing injuries from their waist down.
February 19, 2013WV · Coalshuttle car operator, mantrip operator, ramcar operator, rail runner, buggy operatorFatality · POWERED HAULAGE
Pocahontas Coal Company LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
The shuttle car operator was shoveling the coal rib in the 5-6 crosscut on #3 section at #18 break. This was the 2nd open crosscut outby the face of #6 entry. The scoop operator turned from #6 entry battery first into the crosscut and struck the shuttle car operator. The shuttle car operator sustained fatal injuries.
February 7, 2013WV · Coalutility man, errand boy, service truck operatorFatality · HOISTING
Pocahontas Coal Company LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Scoop operator placed the scoop bucket over the edge of the elevator/hoist to eject a trash insert. Inadvertent movement of the elevator/hoist raised the scoop upward and the scoop operator ended up under the scoop deck suffering fatal injuries.
For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants
Where Pocahontas 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.