According to an August 19 company filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the McCoy Elkhorn Coal subsidiary received an imminent danger order from the US Mine Safety and Health Administration for not taking dust control measures on haul roads.
The condition, MSHA said, resulted in no visibility for trucks traveling the haul road at the Pike and Floyd County complex.
James River officials said in the SEC documentation that it watered the road to control dust, which terminated the order.
On July 20, the operation received an imminent danger order after a plant operator was witnessed atop a preparation plant machine that was energized and not locked or tagged out.
The producer removed the individual from the machine, and following the worker’s training on the issue the order was terminated.
James River did not release any further public statement on either event.
Imminent danger orders are issued by MSHA under section 107(a) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act, also known as the Mine Act.
Section 1503 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street and Consumer Protection Act, amended last July, now requires disclosure of all imminent danger incidents as part of new reporting requirements regarding mine safety.
The room and pillar mines of the McCoy Elkhorn complex extract from the Williamson, Elkhorn 2, Elkhorn 3, Fireclay and Pond Creek seams.