Armstrong Co Strips has $22K in proposed MSHA penalties and $115 outstanding across 10 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
4
Years on record
1987–2012
Latest incident
Jun 2012
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
100
citations
33
significant & substantial
$21,613
proposed penalties
$20,374
paid to date
94% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $1,239 gap.
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.
100 citations across 1,633 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Armstrong Co Strips has $22K in proposed MSHA penalties and $115 outstanding across 10 contested dockets.
Penalty disposition
ⓘDifferences between proposed and paid penalties reflect both settlements and conference reductions and amounts still owed. Outstanding is the balance currently owed.
$22K
proposed penalties
$20K
current assessed
$20K
paid to date
$115
outstanding
100 assessments are final orders; 10 contested dockets.
Of $10K in penalties contested before the Commission, $9K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2012-12-04.
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.
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.
12citations taken to the federal commission · 12% of citations on record
Settled
11 · 92%
Stood as issued
1 · 8%
100%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 8 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
10%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$9K proposed, $8K 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 2013-08-01.
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 mine contested before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, with the outcome on record.
MSHA sampling at Armstrong Co Strips shows 100% of 268 respirable coal dust samples met the 1.5 mg/m3 standard.
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: 2012-12-04, 13 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
268
samples
1.15
dust max (mg/m3)
231 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 37 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.
Health sampling trend
ⓘ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 by year
ⓘ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.
Armstrong Co Strips recorded 4.09 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2012.
Injury rate, 2012
ⓘ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.
4.09
total case rate
4.09
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.74 and the all-US-mining average was 2.96 cases per 100 workers.
In Pennsylvania, coal mining averaged 4.43 cases per 100 workers that year.
Under 100,000 employee-hours were reported that year, so a single case moves the rate by two or more. Read the figure as approximate.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2012 *
4.09
4.09
0.000
2011 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2010 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2009 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2008 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2007 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2006 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2005 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
* Fewer than 100,000 employee-hours that year; the rate is less stable.
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.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
ⓘCoal production is reported quarterly and lags the current period; the most recent quarters may be incomplete.
Year
Employees
Coal produced (tons)
2014
2
2013
13
7,237
2012
25
199,997
2011
22
174,277
2010
18
105,733
2009
22
331,538
2008
29
501,694
2007
38
465,585
2006
31
382,434
2005
36
286,956
2004
24
388,717
2003
13
83,204
2002
39
323,047
2001
35
434,044
2000
37
463,105
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Armstrong Co Strips sits in Butler County, Pennsylvania, where the Census mining category is 0.5% of county employment.
Local economic context
ⓘCounty figures come from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 5-year pooled estimates, so the 2023 vintage covers 2019 through 2023. The Census category is 'mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction', which is broader than MSHA jurisdiction and includes oil and gas workers no mine employs. These figures describe the surrounding county, not this mine, and are not a factor in any specific incident.
Butler County, Pennsylvania · Population 195,870
0.5%
Mining share of county employment
$86,775
Median household income
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates.
Quarterly safety rates
ⓘCitations per million reported employee-hours. Rates begin in 2000, when MSHA's quarterly employment data starts; earlier incidents are counted but cannot be rate-adjusted. Quarters under 100,000 reported hours are greyed: too few hours for a stable rate.
Citations per million employee-hours, as reported to MSHA
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2014 Q2
225
0
0
0.0
2013 Q1
5,507
0
0
0.0
2012 Q4
11,220
2
2
178.3
2012 Q3
12,650
0
0
0.0
2012 Q2
13,435
3
2
223.3
2012 Q1
11,578
6
1
518.2
2011 Q4
12,473
0
0
0.0
2011 Q3
10,263
1
1
97.4
Show 46 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2011 Q2
11,266
1
0
88.8
2011 Q1
11,121
0
0
0.0
2010 Q4
11,480
1
0
87.1
2010 Q3
12,332
0
0
0.0
2010 Q2
6,424
2
0
311.3
2010 Q1
4,596
0
0
0.0
2009 Q4
8,931
0
0
0.0
2009 Q3
12,985
1
0
77.0
2009 Q2
10,216
1
1
97.9
2009 Q1
11,479
0
0
0.0
2008 Q4
12,689
1
1
78.8
2008 Q3
12,503
0
0
0.0
2008 Q2
14,464
9
4
622.2
2008 Q1
17,090
8
6
468.1
2007 Q4
19,830
0
0
0.0
2007 Q3
17,947
0
0
0.0
2007 Q2
17,311
3
0
173.3
2007 Q1
17,850
0
0
0.0
2006 Q4
19,814
0
0
0.0
2006 Q3
13,020
0
0
0.0
2006 Q2
15,551
0
0
0.0
2006 Q1
13,051
0
0
0.0
2005 Q4
14,526
0
0
0.0
2005 Q3
14,392
3
1
208.4
2005 Q2
18,488
5
2
270.4
2005 Q1
20,311
3
0
147.7
2004 Q4
25,401
1
1
39.4
2004 Q3
24,576
0
0
0.0
2004 Q2
6,688
11
1
1644.7
2004 Q1
5,500
1
0
181.8
2003 Q4
4,624
0
0
0.0
2003 Q3
9,193
0
0
0.0
2003 Q2
8,405
0
0
0.0
2003 Q1
7,045
1
0
141.9
2002 Q4
13,869
3
1
216.3
2002 Q3
16,813
0
0
0.0
2002 Q2
18,186
0
0
0.0
2002 Q1
19,378
2
1
103.2
2001 Q4
23,568
1
0
42.4
2001 Q3
18,495
0
0
0.0
2001 Q2
24,296
5
1
205.8
2001 Q1
21,145
3
0
141.9
2000 Q4
22,373
3
1
134.1
2000 Q3
21,281
0
0
0.0
2000 Q2
20,755
0
0
0.0
2000 Q1
17,862
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
4 on file
2012 · 1 incident
June 20, 2012PA · Coalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Amerikohl Mining Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
EE WAS CLIMBING INTO THE FRONT DRILL CAB AS OPERATOR WAS LOWERING THE LEVEL JACKS. EE WAS STEPPING ON THE FRONT TIRE INSTEAD OF THE STEP PROVIDED BY THE MANUFACTURE. AS THE WEIGHT WAS PUT ON T HE TRUCK SUSPENSION THE SPACE BETWEEN THE STEP AND THE TIRE GREW SMALLER FINALLY PINCHING HIS FOOT BETWEEN THE TIRE AND THE STEP.
1987 · 1 incident
January 24, 1987PA · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)