Mining Incidents

Bertovich Surface Mine: 12 MSHA citations Coal

David L Patterson Jr · Surface
Controlled by David L Patterson Jr
Saltsburg, Westmoreland County, PA  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 3609275

Bertovich Surface Mine has $1K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
0
Years on record
Latest incident
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2005
12
citations
1
significant & substantial
$1,047
proposed penalties
$1,047
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
32
inspections on record
492
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: 492 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Bertovich Surface Mine has $1K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 0 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
12 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2011-05-18.
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.
8.3%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
16.7%
reasonably likely or greater
0.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 83.3% low, 16.7% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Bertovich Surface Mine shows 100% of 56 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: 2017-05-12, 9 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
56
samples
0.69
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.
48 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 8 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR24
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR16
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER8

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2010-05-11, 16 years ago
10.2
silica avg (%)
3
samples
11.0
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR2
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR1

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: 2016-10-18, 9 years ago
13%
over PEL
24
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR12
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR8
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER2
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
2017 100% 2
2016 100% 11
2015 100% 5
2014 100% 6
2013 100% 4
2012 100% 2
2011 100% 4
2010 100% 8
2009 100% 2
2008 100% 3
2006 100% 5
2005 100% 2
2004 100% 2
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2010 10.0 2
2008 10.6 1
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2016 0% 5
2015 0% 2
2014 0% 2
2013 0% 2
2012 0% 2
2011 0% 2
2010 67% 3
2009 50% 2
2008 0% 2
2006 0% 2
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. David L Patterson Jr 2004 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)
2017 4 15,687
2016 4 21,160
2015 2 9,245
2014 4 26,848
2013 3 21,548
2012 2 15,753
2011 2 11,240
2010 2 20,943
2009 4 13,573
2008 2 23,563
2007 2 27,796
2006 3 24,035
2005 2 14,978
2004 2 5,514
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Bertovich Surface Mine sits in Westmoreland 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.
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania · Population 353,345
0.5%
Mining share of county employment
$72,468
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
2017 Q2 1,558 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 1,592 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 1,203 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 1,780 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 1,586 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 166 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 0 0 0
2015 Q3 439 0 0 0.0
Show 44 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2015 Q2 1,145 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 365 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 1,640 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 1,036 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 733 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 794 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 224 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 1,258 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 1,286 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 955 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 0 0 0
2012 Q3 1,203 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 882 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 480 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 1,040 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 1,040 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 1,040 2 0 1923.1
2011 Q1 160 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 48 1 0 20833.3
2010 Q3 1,051 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 1,120 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 1,112 4 0 3597.1
2009 Q4 802 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 541 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 829 0 0 0.0
2009 Q1 1,504 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 1,202 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 2,596 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 1,404 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 1,115 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 721 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 834 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 1,380 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 1,295 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 1,341 1 1 745.7
2006 Q3 1,631 1 0 613.1
2006 Q2 2,039 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 2,041 2 0 979.9
2005 Q4 1,942 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 400 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 1,389 1 0 719.9
2005 Q1 699 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 962 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 354 0 0 0.0

No reportable incidents on file.

MSHA has no recorded reportable accidents for this mine in the current dataset. New reports appear here within a week of being filed.