58% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $155,275 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
537
inspections on record
18,788
inspection hours
5.2
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.
979 citations across 18,788 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.
$369K
proposed penalties
$214K
current assessed
$214K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
955 assessments are final orders; 10 contested dockets.
Of $242K in penalties contested before the Commission, $87K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2006-03-06.
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, 2006
ⓘ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.
9.83
total case rate
4.92
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 4.87 and the all-US-mining average was 3.91 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
2006 *
9.83
4.92
0.000
2005
3.86
1.93
0.000
2004
0.00
0.00
0.000
2003
8.32
3.75
0.000
2002
14.77
9.85
0.290
2001
16.63
10.43
0.000
2000
9.15
6.10
0.234
* 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: 2005-10-19, 20 years ago
85%
within 1.5 mg/m3
1,935
samples
6.68
dust max (mg/m3)
994 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 941 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.
1citations taken to the federal commission · 0% of citations on record
Settled
1 · 100%
100%
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 1 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$107 proposed, $250 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 2006-08-02. 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 controller contested before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, with the outcome on record.
December 27, 2002WV · Coalbeltman, conveyor man, conveyor belt worker, mobile bridge carrierman, feeder operator, conveyor riderFatality · FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
A PILLAR FALL OCCURRED IN THE #5 ENTRY OF THE 003-0 SECTION FATALLY INJURING EMPLOYEE.
August 14, 2000WV · Coalshuttle car operator, mantrip operator, ramcar operator, rail runner, buggy operatorFatality · POWERED HAULAGE
Dakota Mining Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
EE WAS FATALLY INJURED WHEN HE WAS STRUCK BY A SHUTTLE CAR & CAUGHT BETWEEN THE SHUTTLE CAR & THE COAL RIB. EE AND ANOTHER EE WERE IN THE PROCESS OF ANCHORING THE NO.1 SHUTTLE CAR CABLE ON THE 1ST RIGHT SECTION.
EMPLOYEE ENTERED SUBSTATION TO DETERMINE WHAT WORK WILL BE REQUIRED TO REMOVE THE TRANSFORMER. HE CLIMBED THE TRANSFORMER TO LOOK AT TOP WHEN HE CAME IN CONTACT WITH LINE.
March 12, 1999WV · Coalshuttle car operator, mantrip operator, ramcar operator, rail runner, buggy operatorFatality · POWERED HAULAGE
Copperas Coal Corp · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
EE WAS LEAVING THE SIDE OF THE FEEDER IN #7 ENTRY TO RETURN TO THE MINER HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO TURN UP #8 ENTRY. HE MUST HAVE STARTED HIS TURN TOO LATE WHICH LET THE DECK AREA OF THE CAR STRIKE THE RIB THROWING HIM PARTIALY OUT OF THE CAR CRUSHING HIM BETWEEN THE RIB AND THE SHUTTLE CAR.
April 4, 1986WV · Coalsection foreman, bullgang foreman, labor foreman, leadman, shift bossFatality · FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
SECTION FOREMAN3WAS INBY THE LAST ROW OF BOLTS WHEN A KETTLE BOTTOM FELL ON HIM
For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants
Where Chris Cline 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.