Blue Creek Processing: 26 MSHA citations
Coal
Berry,
Tuscaloosa County,
AL
·
Active
MSHA Mine ID: 0103609
Blue Creek Processing has $9K in proposed MSHA penalties and $604 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 Blue Creek Processing.
- Fatalities
- 0
- Total incidents
- 2
- Years on record
- 2025
- Latest incident
- Nov 2025
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2025
6
significant & substantial
$8,530
proposed penalties
93% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $618 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2025
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: 237 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Blue Creek Processing has $9K in proposed MSHA penalties and $604 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.
16 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $165 in penalties contested before the Commission, $151 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-07-01.
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.
23.1%
significant & substantial
3.8%
high negligence or reckless
23.1%
reasonably likely or greater
26.9%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 34.6% low, 61.5% moderate, 3.8% 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 · 4% of citations on record
8%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$165 proposed, $151 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 2025-05-18.
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 |
| SE 2025-0117 |
Settlement |
Lewis |
2025 |
$165 → $151 |
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
MSHA sampling at Blue Creek Processing shows 100% of 18 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: 2026-07-01
9 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 9 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR16
- HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER2
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: 2026-07-01
Most-sampled occupations
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR7
- 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 |
| 2026 |
100% |
6 |
| 2025 |
100% |
12 |
Noise by year
| Year |
over PEL |
samples |
| 2026 |
0% |
2 |
| 2025 |
0% |
7 |
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
-
Warrior Met Coal BC, LLC
2024 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
| Year |
Employees |
| 2026 |
38 |
| 2025 |
27 |
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Blue Creek Processing sits in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, where the Census mining category is 0.9% 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.
Tuscaloosa County, Alabama · Population 234,036
0.9%
Mining share of county employment
$63,947
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 |
| 2026 Q2 |
27,949 |
3 |
0 |
107.3 |
| 2026 Q1 |
26,132 |
2 |
0 |
76.5 |
| 2025 Q4 |
24,503 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
| 2025 Q3 |
19,686 |
1 |
0 |
50.8 |
| 2025 Q2 |
11,663 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
2 on file
2025 · 2 incidents
November 22, 2025
AL · Coal
maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech
HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Warrior Met Coal BC, LLC · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)
Accident was not observed by any witness and injured employee does not remember circumstances of the accident. Injured employee has a broken nose, received stitches and staples and had bruises.
Warrior Met Coal BC, LLC · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)
Pulled end flange off refuse screen and was hit with water. Requested medical attention and an MRI. Conducted surgery on knee on 9-13-2025 and was first day of lost time for employee.