1% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $919,091 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
122
inspections on record
3,915
inspection hours
3.3
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.
129 citations across 3,915 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.
$927K
proposed penalties
$914K
current assessed
$8K
paid to date
$906K
outstanding
121 assessments are final orders; 8 contested dockets.
Of $922K in penalties contested before the Commission, $909K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2006-12-21.
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.
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: 2006-10-13, 19 years ago
98%
within 1.5 mg/m3
325
samples
5.63
dust max (mg/m3)
136 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 189 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.
47citations taken to the federal commission · 36% of citations on record
Settled
47 · 100%
97%
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 34 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
1%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$920K proposed, $908K 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 2008-04-08. 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 controller contested before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, with the outcome on record.
Accident happened when a cut of coal was blasted in breast. From preliminary report: According to the witness, he heard three explosions. Two were normal. The concussion from the third explosion was excessive. The victim was eventually found at the bottom of #19 chute.
March 30, 1995PA · Coallaborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scalerFatality · ELECTRICAL
TWO GROUND FAULTS OCCURRED ON TWO DIFFERENT PHASES OF THE UNDERGOUND POWER SYSTEM.THE FAN HAD A GROUND FAULT AND THE FLYGHT PUMP HAD A GROUND FAULT.THE PUMP GROUND FAULT WASTIEDTO THE UNDERGRO UND SYSTEM AND THE FAN WAS TIED TO THE SURFACE GROUND SYSTEM WITH THE HOIST.THE VICTIM BECAME THE BRIDGE BETWEEN THE TWO SYSTEMS.
For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants
Where David S Himmelberger 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.