Mining Incidents

CAVE BRANCH PLANT Coal

Cumberland, Harlan County, KY  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 1516054

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
23
Years on record
2000–2024
Latest incident
Aug 2024
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
920
citations
277
significant & substantial
$201,940
proposed penalties
$144,126
paid to date
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Quarterly safety rates
Citations per million employee-hours, as reported to MSHA
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2025 Q4 42,525 2 0 47.0
2025 Q2 37,289 8 0 214.5
2024 Q4 33,368 1 0 30.0
2022 Q3 6,116 2 1 327.0
2021 Q4 0 0 0
2021 Q1 50 0 0 0.0
2020 Q4 50 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 460 0 0 0.0
Quarters under 100,000 reported hours are greyed: too few hours for a stable rate.
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

23 on file

2024 · 3 incidents

August 5, 2024 KY · Coal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Bluegrass Natural Resources, LLC · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was stepping up from the ground on a dozer & said they twisted their knee. The employee refused medical treatment and continued to work. The employee saw their doctor the following week, it was determined that the employee had a torn meniscus and had surgery on 10/23/2024. Employee continued to work until the surgery. Employee is scheduled to return to work on 11/08/2024.

June 25, 2024 KY · Coal welder (shop) HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Bluegrass Natural Resources, LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

Employee was attempting to remove a large piece of rock that had hung in the conveyor belt. Employee was attempting to lift the rock over the hand rail to let it fall to the ground when the employee lost grip on the rock and it pinned employee's hand against the hand rail.

February 15, 2024 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech OTHER
Bluegrass Natural Resources, LLC · Bodily reaction, (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was walking and shop floor and stepped up onto a wooden pallet approx. 4 inches high and felt something pop in their knee.

2023 · 3 incidents

July 24, 2023 KY · Coal haul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driver SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
INMET Mining, LLC. · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

The employee was climbing down a ladder on an articulating truck and twisted right knee. The injury became MSHA reportable when the employee began missing work on 8/07/2023.

July 4, 2023 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
INMET Mining, LLC. · Over-exertion in pulling or pushing objects

Employee was attempting to remove the oil drain plug on an Excavator with a ratchet and was applying pressure to break the plug free and the ratchet slipped and employee felt something pop in their right shoulder.

2015 · 1 incident

November 17, 2015 KY · Coal prep plant foreman, supervisor, mill plant supervisor, kiln supervisor HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Blackjewel L.L.C. · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee states that he was using a slate bar on 242 screen bowl when the bar twisted in his hand cutting web between thumb and finger.

2012 · 1 incident

March 16, 2012 KY · Coal warehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operator HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Old Virginia Services, L.L.C. · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

Rigging pipe that was on the floor, with a chain hoist to move to hoist well. Pipe rolled over while hooking up chain hoist up to it and pinched leg between another pipe.

2011 · 1 incident

January 26, 2011 KY · Coal prep plant foreman, supervisor, mill plant supervisor, kiln supervisor SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Old Virginia Services, L.L.C. · Fall to the walkway or working surface

Employee was carrying some rigging to put in his pickup truck and slipped. In catching himself from falling, he sprained/strained his left arm/wrist and lower back.

2010 · 5 incidents

November 15, 2010 KY · Coal welder (shop) MACHINERY
Old Virginia Services, L.L.C. · Struck by flying object

EE was welding on a pipe, when slag from another welder hit his right jaw. The cut was small and was treated with antiseptic and a band aid. The infection he got later is due to his immune system.

July 19, 2010 KY · Coal welder (shop) HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Old Virginia Services, L.L.C. · Struck against stationary object

EE was welding in studs for center hold down pulling welding lead under mechanism beam, the welding rod was in the holder stinger and stuck the welding rod in corner of his left eye.

January 18, 2010 KY · Coal warehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operator SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Old Virginia Services, L.L.C. · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

EE was climbing the vertical ladder to reach the top floor of loadout when he slipped and caught himself with his left arm.

2009 · 1 incident

April 23, 2009 KY · Coal miner, prospector, nec MACHINERY
Old Virginia Services, L.L.C. · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

He said he was sandblasting steel from a ladder and he felt like he was going to fall. He said he reached out with his left hand to catch himselt and when he did, the blast nozzle in his right hand jerked, causing the sandblasting sand to jump from the intended area of impact and spray his left hand. He was wearing gloves at the time.

2007 · 2 incidents

October 10, 2007 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech POWERED HAULAGE
Old Virginia Services, L.L.C. · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Repairing a dump trailer w/leaking hose. Lifted bed with loader bucket to install crib blocks to make safe for repair. Bed slipped off bucket & dropped to first crib block hitting a block that was on a repairman's shoulder. Repairman said he was ok but we sent him for x-rays. Said he had a contusion and could return to work.

April 29, 2007 KY · Coal FIRE
Old Virginia Services, L.L.C. · Accident type, without injuries

There were no injuries or employees on duty at the time of the fire. Kenworth tractor was parked on the parking lot on a Sunday night when a security guard noticed a fire. He called the fire dept but by the time they arrived the truck was basically burned up and fire was dying down. Appeared Electrical.

2005 · 2 incidents

May 15, 2005 KY · Coal haul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driver SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Old Virginia Services, L.L.C. · Fall from machine

EMPLOYEE TRIPPED WHILE CLIMBING DOWN CAT TRUCK LADDER AND TWISTED HIS FOOT RESULING IN A FRACTURE.

March 2, 2005 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Old Virginia Services, L.L.C. · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was helping to hold sheive to electric motor with his hands with 2 other men trying to keep it from falling off, sudden movement hurt his shoulder.

2004 · 2 incidents

October 28, 2004 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Old Virginia Services, L.L.C. · Over-exertion in lifting objects

EE WAS TURNING A #154 CURVE SEIVE WHILE LIFTING THE SEIVE BACK INTO PLACE, EE PULLED HIS MID LEFT BACK.

June 12, 2004 KY · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Old Virginia Services, L.L.C. · Over-exertion in pulling or pushing objects

THE EMPLOYEE WAS PULLING ON A RACHET TO REMOVE A BOLT FROM A CYCLONE COUPLING AND PULLED SOMETHING IN IS BACK.

2002 · 1 incident

June 17, 2002 KY · Coal warehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operator FIRE
Old Virginia Services, L.L.C. · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

HE IS THE PLANT OPERATOR. HE BENT DOWN TO ADJUST THE CONTROLS. UNDER THE CONTROL PANEL, AND HE SAID HIS NECK STATED HURTING.

2000 · 1 incident

May 30, 2000 KY · Coal electrician, lineman HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Mountain Labor Llc · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

HE WENT TO CHANGE OXYGEN TANK; HE PUT ON THE FULL TANK AND TURNED IT ON. IT WAS A HEADER PIPE SYSTEM MADE OUT OF BRASS PIPE WITH A FLEXI-BLE BRAIDED HIGH PRESSURE HOSE GOING TO TANK. THE BRAIDED HOSE BUSTED AND SPRAYED OXYGEN IN HIS RIGHT EYE.