Bottom Split Slope: 59 MSHA citations Coal
Little Buck Coal Company
· Underground
Controlled by
Ronald Bender; Kris Bender
MSHA Mine ID: 3609491
Bottom Split Slope has $34K in proposed MSHA penalties and $22K outstanding across 12 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 2007
59
citations
17
significant & substantial
$34,118
proposed penalties
$8,096
paid to date
24% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $26,022 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2007
45
inspections on record
1,644
inspection hours
3.6
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.59 citations across 1,644 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Bottom Split Slope has $34K in proposed MSHA penalties and $22K outstanding across 12 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.$34K
proposed penalties
$30K
current assessed
$8K
paid to date
$22K
outstanding
58 assessments are final orders; 12 contested dockets.
Of $136K in penalties contested before the Commission, $21K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2010-08-09.
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.29.3%
significant & substantial
20.7%
high negligence or reckless
29.3%
reasonably likely or greater
15.5%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 15.5% low, 63.8% moderate, 20.7% 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.
18
citations taken to the federal commission · 31% of citations on record
- Settled 7 · 39%
- Stood as issued 7 · 39%
- Vacated or withdrawn 4 · 22%
78%
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 9 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
85%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$136K proposed, $21K 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 2011-03-04.
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 2009-12 | Vacate | Zielinski | 2010 | $101K → $0 |
| PENN 2009-45 | Default | Lesnick | 2010 | $16K → $16K |
| PENN 2011-233 | Settlement | Lesnick | 2011 | $13K → $3K |
| PENN 2008-630 | Settlement | Bulluck | 2010 | $4K → $224 |
| PENN 2009-212 | Default | Lesnick | 2010 | $2K → $2K |
| PENN 2010-72 | Settlement | Lesnick | 2011 | $200 → $200 |
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
MSHA sampling at Bottom Split Slope shows 100% of 197 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: 2011-01-19, 15 years ago
ⓘ
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.100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
197
samples
1.42
dust max (mg/m3)
87 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 110 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
- HAND LOADERS125
- LABORER34
- HOIST ENGINEER/OPERATOR12
Silica (quartz)
Last sampled: 2008-05-14, 18 years ago2.2
silica avg (%)
1
samples
2.2
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
- HAND LOADERS1
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: 2010-12-13, 15 years ago
ⓘ
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.0%
over PEL
31
samples
Most-sampled occupations
- LABORER14
- HOIST ENGINEER/OPERATOR8
- HAND LOADERS6
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% | 3 |
| 2010 | 100% | 53 |
| 2009 | 100% | 49 |
| 2008 | 100% | 52 |
| 2007 | 100% | 40 |
Noise by year
| Year | over PEL | samples |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0% | 10 |
| 2009 | 0% | 8 |
| 2008 | 0% | 7 |
| 2007 | 0% | 6 |
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
- Little Buck Coal Company 2007 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 6 | 2,072 |
| 2009 | 6 | 4,521 |
| 2008 | 7 | 5,448 |
| 2007 | 6 | 466 |
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Bottom Split Slope sits in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, where the Census mining category is 1.1% 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.Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania · Population 143,259
1.1%
Mining share of county employment
$66,901
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 Q2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2010 Q3 | 2,100 | 5 | 4 | 2381.0 |
| 2010 Q1 | 1,860 | 2 | 0 | 1075.3 |
| 2009 Q4 | 125 | 3 | 2 | 24000.0 |
| 2009 Q3 | 2,376 | 2 | 0 | 841.8 |
| 2009 Q2 | 3,180 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2009 Q1 | 2,260 | 1 | 0 | 442.5 |
| 2008 Q4 | 1,440 | 1 | 1 | 694.4 |
Show 4 earlier quarters Hide earlier quarters
| Quarter | Hours worked | Citations | S&S | Per 1M hrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 Q3 | 3,660 | 2 | 0 | 546.4 |
| 2008 Q2 | 2,120 | 4 | 0 | 1886.8 |
| 2008 Q1 | 1,960 | 24 | 8 | 12244.9 |
| 2007 Q4 | 1,680 | 3 | 0 | 1785.7 |
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.