81% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $1,087,995 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
2,511
inspections on record
95,625
inspection hours
8.2
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.
7,836 citations across 95,625 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Imminent-danger orders
ⓘA Section 107(a) order removes miners from an area when an inspector finds an imminent danger. Each order is lifted once the condition is corrected, so this counts orders issued, not orders now in effect.
2
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2012-04-09.
On record since 2011.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, 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.
$5.6M
proposed penalties
$4.5M
current assessed
$4.5M
paid to date
$70
outstanding
7,712 assessments are final orders; 257 contested dockets.
Of $3.9M in penalties contested before the Commission, $2.8M was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2018-12-03.
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, 2018
ⓘ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.
8.16
total case rate
6.66
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.34 and the all-US-mining average was 2.33 cases per 100 workers.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2018
8.16
6.66
0.000
2017
8.51
7.44
0.000
2016
5.04
4.56
0.000
2015
6.97
6.39
0.000
2014
8.53
7.23
0.000
2013
6.53
5.10
0.000
2012
8.24
5.13
0.270
2011
7.80
5.29
0.000
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: 2018-12-03, 7 years ago
95%
within 1.5 mg/m3
9,085
samples
13.49
dust max (mg/m3)
5
over MSHA ECV
ⓘThe excessive concentration value (ECV) is MSHA's own per-sample enforcement threshold, which builds in measurement uncertainty; a sample over its ECV can trigger a citation. The count covers only samples MSHA assigned an ECV.
4,612 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 4,473 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.
1,816citations taken to the federal commission · 23% of citations on record
Settled
1,797 · 99%
Stood as issued
17 · 1%
Vacated or withdrawn
2 · 0%
87%
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 1,215 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
28%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$3.9M proposed, $2.8M 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 2019-02-06. 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.
Drummond Company Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
At approximately 10:15am an employee received fatal crushing injuries as he was helping move a Longwall power center. The fatal injuries occurred when the employee was crushed between the power center and rib as the power center was being moved into a cross cut.
March 23, 2012AL · Coalelectrician, linemanFatality · ELECTRICAL
Electrician was performing work on a shuttle car cable reel on the West Main Left section when his received a fatal electrical shock. The electrician came in contact with the exposed 995 volt energized cable leads in the cable reel compartment.
August 10, 2005AL · Coalcontinuous miner operator, coal mole operatorFatality · FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
THE EE WAS IN PROCESS OF WORKING A TWIST FROM A ROLL OF WIRE MESH BEING INSTALLED AT #50 SHIELD ON C-2 LONGWALL FACE IN PREPARATION FOR EQUIPMENT RECOVERY. THE INDIVIDUAL POSITIONED HIMSELF WI TH HIS BACK TOWARD THE FACE. A PIECE OF ROCK MEASURING 9'WIDE X42" HIGHX11" TO 16" THICK FELLFROM THE FACE STRIKING PERSON IN BACK
June 13, 1994AL · Coalroof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs)Fatality · MACHINERY
AT APPROX. 10:40 THEY WERE COMPLETING PINNING AND INSTALLING LINE CURTAIN IN THE FACE OF #3 RIGHT ENTRY. I.NAME WAS PUSHING UP LOOSE COAL WITH DIESEL SCOOP IN THE FACE OF #4 RIGHT ENTRY. ON CO MPLETING PUSHING UP IN #4 RIGHT, I.NAME BACKED HIS SCOOP UP TO THE OUTBY CROSSCUT IN #3 AND #4 AND TRAMMED ACROSS TO THE #2 RT OPEN LAST CROSS CUT. HE TRAMMED HIS SCOOP INTO THE SAME CROSSCUT
August 24, 1989AL · Coalblaster, shooter, shotfirer, explosive worker, powder gang/monkeyFatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
EMPLOYEES WERE 8ISASSEMBLING A RADIAL COAL STACKER THE VICTIM WAS REMOVING BOLTS FROM THE THIRD AND BASE SECTION WHEN THE FRAME UNDERNEATH COLLAPSED CRUSHING HIM
Marigold Docks Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
AN INDEPENDENT 7ONTRACT TRUCK DRIVER HAD DUMPED HIS LOAD OF COAL AND PULLED FORWARD A FEW FEET FROM THE PILE WHEN HE APPARENTLY STOPPED HIS TRUCK TO CHECK THE TAILGATE. THE END LOADER BACKED UP AND THE DRIV9R WAS PINNED BETWEEN THE VEHICLES
February 10, 1986AL · Coalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorFatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
EMPLOYEE WAS AP1ARENTLY CLEANING THE FRONT GLASS ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE LOADER HE SLIPPED AND FELL STRIKING HIS HEAD ON THE KEEPER PIN AND BOLT ON THE TILT CYLINDER
December 15, 1985AL · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanFatality · POWERED HAULAGE
MR. BRAFFORD ON HIS WAY TO GET R/R CAR TO DROP IN TO TIPPLE TO LOAD, HE WAS STRUCK BY A END LOADER.
For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants
Where Drummond Company Inc 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.