Mining Incidents

Sunrise Coal Co., LLC: 1 recorded fatality operator

Controlled by Jimmie R Ryan
MSHA operator ID: P24401

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Fatalities
1
Total incidents
44
Mines on record
2
Years on record
2000–2005
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
488
citations
219
significant & substantial
$155,245
proposed penalties
$64,755
paid to date
42% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $90,490 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
256
inspections on record
5,163
inspection hours
9.5
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.
488 citations across 5,163 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.
$155K
proposed penalties
$145K
current assessed
$65K
paid to date
$80K
outstanding
476 assessments are final orders; 7 contested dockets.
Of $47K in penalties contested before the Commission, $31K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2006-06-19.
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.
45.6%
significant & substantial
8.1%
high negligence or reckless
46.1%
reasonably likely or greater
9.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 1.0% low, 90.8% moderate, 8.1% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
Injury rate, 2005
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.
2.98
total case rate
2.98
days-away rate
2.978
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 5.11 and the all-US-mining average was 4.21 cases per 100 workers.
Under 100,000 employee-hours were reported that year, so a single case moves the rate by two or more. Read the figure as approximate.
Year total case rate days-away fatal
2005 * 2.98 2.98 2.978
2004 * 10.74 8.60 0.000
2003 * 17.81 10.69 0.000
2002 * 8.60 6.45 0.000
2001 * 8.89 2.22 0.000
2000 * 15.22 15.22 0.000
* Fewer than 100,000 employee-hours that year; the rate is less stable.
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: 2005-06-29, 21 years ago
91%
within 1.5 mg/m3
345
samples
6.50
dust max (mg/m3)
186 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 159 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR138
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)27
  • CONTINUOUS MINER HELPER22

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2005-07-07, 21 years ago
5.3
silica avg (%)
26
samples
9.0
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR12

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: 2003-02-25, 23 years ago
3%
over PEL
36
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)6
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR4
  • CONTINUOUS MINER HELPER3
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
CENT 2004-165 Settlement Manning 2004 $24K → $14K
CENT20020099 Settlement Feldman 2003 $8K → $7K
CENT20020325 Settlement Feldman 2003 $6K → $3K
CENT20020100 Settlement Feldman 2003 $4K → $4K
CENT20010396 Settlement Weisberger 2002 $2K → $2K
CENT20020101 Settlement Feldman 2003 $2K → $2K
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

Top causes

Incident timeline

2005
1 (1f)
2004
5
2003
6
2002
18
2001
8
2000
6

Mines on record

Fatalities under this operator

1 recorded
July 12, 2005 AL · Coal beltman, conveyor man, conveyor belt worker, mobile bridge carrierman, feeder operator, conveyor rider Fatality · FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Sunrise Coal Co., LLC · Struck by falling object

Intersection roof fall in above roof suport in the #4 entry/belt entry in the last open crosscut causing death of a bridge operator.

For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants

Where Sunrise Coal Co., 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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