Mining Incidents

Montana Power Company: 3 recorded fatalities controller

MSHA controller ID: C02861

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Fatalities
3
Total incidents
926
Mines on record
5
Years on record
1983–2001
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
20
citations
2
significant & substantial
$6,338
proposed penalties
$3,142
paid to date
50% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $3,196 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
31
inspections on record
772
inspection hours
n/a
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.
Rate withheld: 772 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
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.
$6K
proposed penalties
$3K
current assessed
$3K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
19 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $3K in penalties contested before the Commission, $2K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2001-03-14.
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.
10.5%
significant & substantial
10.5%
high negligence or reckless
26.3%
reasonably likely or greater
31.6%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 5.3% none, 31.6% low, 52.6% moderate, 10.5% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
Injury rate, 2001
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.
2.30
total case rate
0.58
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 6.94 and the all-US-mining average was 5.26 cases per 100 workers.
Year total case rate days-away fatal
2001 2.30 0.58 0.000
2000 4.84 1.52 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: 2001-03-14, 25 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
32
samples
0.86
dust max (mg/m3)
30 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 2 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR6
  • MECHANIC6
  • COAL TRUCK DRIVER4

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.

Last sampled: 2001-03-13, 25 years ago
38%
over PEL
40
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR8
  • COAL TRUCK DRIVER6
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER3
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
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.
Docket Decision Judge Year Proposed / upheld
WEST20020084 Settlement Manning 2002 $3K → $2K
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

Top causes

Incident timeline

2001
6
2000
43
1999
34
1998
28
1997
42
1996
37
1995
80 (1f)
1994
87
1993
87
1992
68
1991
75
1990
37
1989
71
1988
48
1987
42 (1f)
1986
41
1985
56 (1f)
1984
21
1983
23

Operators under this controller

Mines on record

Fatalities under this controller

3 recorded
October 25, 1995 CO · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) Fatality · FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Basin Resources Inc. · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

ACCORDING TO WITNESS THE EMPLOYEE WAS ATTEMPTING TO CLEAR A PLUGGED SUCTION HOSE ON THE RIGHT BOOM OF THE ROOF BOLTER WHEN A ROCK FELL FROMTHE MINE ROOF ON THE INBY SIDE OF THE ATRS PIVTOTED B ACKWARDS STRUCK EMPLOYEE & PINNED HIM AGAINST THE BOOM

July 29, 1987 MT · Coal drill operator Fatality · MACHINERY
Western Energy Company · Struck against a moving object

A DRILLER 8'10"3FT OVERBURDEN VERTINAL DRILL UNIT NO. W 7033, HAD JUST BEEN POSITIONED ABOUT 30FT AWAY AND PARALLEL TO THE HIGHWALL EDGE IN AREA D, BY THE VICTIM, WHEN THE REAR LEFT LEVELING JACK SANK INTO3THE GROUND, CAUSING THE DRILTECH TO OVERTURN. THE VICTIM, BEING ON THE DRILL BENCH, WAS BETWEEN THE DRILTECH AND HIGHWALL EDGE WHEN HE WAS STRUCK AND CARRIED WITHT THE MACHINE

May 13, 1985 TX · Coal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer Fatality · ELECTRICAL
Northwestern Resources Company · Contact with electrical current

WHILE EATING LUNCH UNDER A TREE WITH FOUR OTHER MEN THE TREE WAS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING FATALLY INJURING I.NAME

For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants

Where Montana Power Company 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.

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