73% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $703,868 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
364
inspections on record
48,182
inspection hours
6.2
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.
3,003 citations across 48,182 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.
3
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2017-03-05.
On record since 2010.
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.
$2.6M
proposed penalties
$1.9M
current assessed
$1.9M
paid to date
$4K
outstanding
2,947 assessments are final orders; 138 contested dockets.
Of $1.7M in penalties contested before the Commission, $1.0M was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-05-07.
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, 2025
ⓘ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.
1.81
total case rate
1.35
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.19 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2026
0.97
0.97
0.000
2025
1.81
1.35
0.000
2024
0.00
0.00
0.000
2023
0.88
0.00
0.000
2022
1.45
0.00
0.000
2021
1.59
0.96
0.000
2020
2.13
0.53
0.000
2019
1.07
0.27
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: 2026-08-06
98%
within 1.5 mg/m3
4,879
samples
10.60
dust max (mg/m3)
20
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.
1,560 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 3,319 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.
432citations taken to the federal commission · 14% of citations on record
Settled
422 · 98%
Stood as issued
7 · 2%
Still open
3 · 1%
69%
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 284 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
40%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$1.7M proposed, $999K 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 2026-06-17. 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.
On September 28, 2017, employee was helping in the roof bolting activities on the longwall face. During this activity, coal came from the longwall face fatally injuring the employee.
October 6, 2013WY · CoalpumperFatality · MACHINERY
While installing structural steel doors over coal bin EE went around safety rail without using fall protection on the door which was still attached to the crane to try to move the door & close a gap between the doors. The door shifted causing a support I-beam to move shifting the doors which caused him to fall. MSHA was notified 12/27/05 that he had expired from his injuries.
September 19, 2000WY · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techFatality · MACHINERY
WHILE CHANGING A TRACK ON A DOZER, THE CHAIN HOOK SLIPPED OFF THE BOGIE & STRUCK THE EE IN THE HEAD AREA RESULTING INS SIGNIFICANT TRAUMA TO THEHEAD AREA. THE EE WAS TRASNPORTED TO THE UNIVERS ITY OF UTAH MED CTR. EE PASSED AWAY 9/25 AS A RESULT OF THE INJURIES SUSTAINED IN THIS ACCIDENT.
July 26, 1999WY · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techFatality · MACHINERY
Bridger Coal Company · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
A TEMPORARY SUPPORT STRUCTURE PLACED BETWEEN THE MAST AND BOOM OF A DRAGLINE PARTIALLY FAILED. THE TOP CROSS MEMBER OF THE STRUCTURE STRUCK THE EMPLOYEE WHO WAS IN THE MAN-BASKET OF A AERIAL L IFT. THE EMPLOYEE WAS FATALLY INJURED WHEN HE WAS CAUGHT BETWEEN THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE AND THE RAILING OF THE MAN-BASKET.
For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants
Where MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company; IDACORP 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.