74% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $1,023 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
100
inspections on record
1,663
inspection hours
3.0
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.
50 citations across 1,663 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.
$4K
proposed penalties
$3K
current assessed
$3K
paid to date
$643
outstanding
45 assessments are final orders; 6 contested dockets.
Of $2K in penalties contested before the Commission, $1K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2018-10-25.
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: 2014-09-08, 11 years ago
93%
within 1.5 mg/m3
82
samples
6.17
dust max (mg/m3)
0
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.
72 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 10 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.
22citations taken to the federal commission · 44% of citations on record
Settled
16 · 73%
Stood as issued
5 · 23%
Vacated or withdrawn
1 · 5%
67%
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 9 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
22%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$2K proposed, $1K 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 2007-09-17. 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.
TWO MINERS WERE ASSIGNED WORK IN THE MONKEY HEADING OF THE 2ND LEVEL EAST GANGWAY WORKING. THEY APPARENTLY WERE PREPARING A HITCH FOR ROOF SUPPORT IN THE CYCLE OF MINING, AND AS THEY FRED THE HITCH, A POCKET OF METHANE GAS WAS IGNITED CAUSIING AN EXPLOSION TO OCCUR. THE RESUTLING EXPLOSION CAUSED FATAL INJURIES TO ONE AND SERIOUS INJURIES TO OTHER.
#14 HEADING HOLED THROUGH #15 ALLOWING UNUSUAL PRESSURE TO BE APPLIED TO HIGH SIDE RIB TIMBER.THE TIMBER AND ROOF SUBSEQUENTLY FELL ON THE MINER AS HE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF INSTALLING TEMPORAR Y ADDITIONAL ROOF AND RIB SUPPORTS.
For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants
Where Michael Rothermel; John Scheib 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.