Mining Incidents

Auger #2: 6 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by Dianne M Brocious
Nicktown, Cambria County, PA  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 3609196

Auger #2 has $1K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

Watch this mine

Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at Auger #2.

Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
2008
Latest incident
Jul 2008
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2004
6
citations
3
significant & substantial
$1,151
proposed penalties
$1,151
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2004
19
inspections on record
180
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: 180 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Auger #2 has $1K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 1 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.
$1K
proposed penalties
$1K
current assessed
$1K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
5 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $625 in penalties contested before the Commission, $625 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2008-02-06.
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.
60.0%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
60.0%
reasonably likely or greater
40.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 40.0% low, 60.0% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
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.
1 citations taken to the federal commission · 17% of citations on record
  • Settled 1 · 100%
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 1 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$625 proposed, $625 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 2006-04-20.
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.
Docket Decision Judge Year Proposed / upheld
PENN 2006-189 Settlement Weisberger 2006 $625 → $625
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Auger #2 shows 100% of 24 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: 2011-11-03, 14 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
24
samples
0.39
dust max (mg/m3)
24 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • AUGER HELPER8
  • AUGER OPERATOR8
  • COAL TRUCK DRIVER6

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: 2011-11-03, 14 years ago
10%
over PEL
21
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • AUGER HELPER7
  • AUGER OPERATOR7
  • COAL TRUCK DRIVER4
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
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.
Year within 1.5 mg/m3 samples
2011 100% 6
2010 100% 6
2007 100% 5
2005 100% 3
2004 100% 4
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2011 0% 3
2010 17% 6
2007 0% 2
2005 0% 6
2004 25% 4
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. Harold Brocious Coal Augering 2004 to 2006
  2. Brocious Coal Augering LLC 2006 to present
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)
2012 2 308
2011 3 7,906
2010 2 5,681
2009 0
2008 2 6,172
2007 3 9,909
2006 4 9,034
2005 3 7,451
2004 4 13,479
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Auger #2 sits in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, where the Census mining category is 0.7% 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.
Cambria County, Pennsylvania · Population 132,355
0.7%
Mining share of county employment
$56,292
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
2012 Q2 0 0 0
2012 Q1 64 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 644 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 240 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 492 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 153 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 579 0 0 0.0
2010 Q3 638 0 0 0.0
Show 25 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2010 Q2 0 0 0
2010 Q1 0 0 0
2009 Q4 0 0 0
2009 Q3 0 0 0
2009 Q2 0 0 0
2009 Q1 0 0 0
2008 Q4 0 0 0
2008 Q3 234 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 345 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 528 1 1 1893.9
2007 Q4 133 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 90 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 1,605 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 1,022 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 1,171 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 1,249 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 1,136 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 628 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 776 3 2 3866.0
2005 Q3 591 1 0 1692.0
2005 Q2 1,008 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 750 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 103 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 400 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 1,239 1 0 807.1
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2008 · 1 incident

July 29, 2008 PA · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Brocious Coal Augering LLC · Struck by powered moving object

He was removing an auger from the auger sled and the next auger dislodged itself and roll off hitting his ankle.