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CHALLENGER YARD: 65 MSHA citations Coal

MILLCREEK PROCESSING · Facility
Seward, Indiana County, PA  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 3608316

CHALLENGER YARD has $9K in proposed MSHA penalties and $524 outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
4
Years on record
1992–2002
Latest incident
Oct 2002
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
65
citations
25
significant & substantial
$8,504
proposed penalties
$7,980
paid to date
94% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $524 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See MILLCREEK PROCESSING's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
88
inspections on record
1,461
inspection hours
4.5
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.
65 citations across 1,461 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

CHALLENGER YARD has $9K in proposed MSHA penalties and $524 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.
$9K
proposed penalties
$9K
current assessed
$8K
paid to date
$524
outstanding
65 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $855 in penalties contested before the Commission, $855 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-08-27.
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.
38.5%
significant & substantial
6.2%
high negligence or reckless
38.5%
reasonably likely or greater
30.8%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 30.8% low, 63.1% moderate, 6.2% 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.
3 citations taken to the federal commission · 5% of citations on record
  • Stood as issued 3 · 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 3 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$855 proposed, $855 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 2010-11-17.
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 2011-71 Default Lesnick 2011 $855 → $855
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at CHALLENGER YARD shows 100% of 144 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: 2026-06-23
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
144
samples
0.57
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.
137 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 7 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER69
  • UTILITY MAN38
  • WEIGHMAN24

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2015-11-25, 10 years ago
7.9
silica avg (%)
2
samples
12.9
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • UTILITY MAN2
See US coal mines ranked by silica in their dust samples.

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: 2026-01-06
0%
over PEL
74
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER40
  • UTILITY MAN15
  • WEIGHMAN10
See US mines ranked by noise samples over the legal limit.
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% 5
2025 100% 2
2024 100% 4
2023 100% 4
2022 100% 3
2021 100% 5
2020 100% 3
2019 100% 3
2018 100% 1
2017 100% 5
2016 100% 7
2015 100% 6
2014 100% 7
2013 100% 8
2012 100% 8
2011 100% 7
2010 100% 7
2009 100% 10
2008 100% 10
2007 100% 5
2006 100% 4
2005 100% 4
2004 100% 8
2003 100% 2
2002 100% 5
2001 100% 6
2000 100% 5
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2015 2.9 1
2008 12.9 1
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2026 0% 2
2024 0% 4
2023 0% 2
2022 0% 2
2021 0% 4
2020 0% 3
2019 0% 2
2017 0% 2
2016 0% 3
2015 0% 3
2014 0% 3
2013 0% 4
2012 0% 4
2011 0% 3
2010 0% 4
2009 0% 4
2008 0% 4
2007 0% 2
2006 0% 2
2005 0% 2
2004 0% 6
2003 0% 2
2002 0% 2
2001 0% 3
2000 0% 2
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. Millcreek Processing 1992 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 10
2025 9
2024 8
2023 7
2022 7
2021 6
2020 7
2019 7
2018 7
2017 7
2016 6
2015 8
2014 8
2013 8
2012 8
2011 8
2010 8
2009 8
2008 8
2007 6
2006 6
2005 7
2004 7
2003 6
2002 6
2001 7
2000 6
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

CHALLENGER YARD sits in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, where the Census mining category is 2.4% 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.
Indiana County, Pennsylvania · Population 83,213
2.4%
Mining share of county employment
$58,739
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 3,316 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 3,512 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 3,945 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 3,423 2 0 584.3
2025 Q2 3,116 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 3,931 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 3,959 3 2 757.8
2024 Q3 3,910 0 0 0.0
Show 98 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 3,535 4 1 1131.5
2024 Q1 3,169 0 0 0.0
2023 Q4 3,210 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 2,571 0 0 0.0
2023 Q2 3,047 2 0 656.4
2023 Q1 2,890 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 3,264 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 2,751 0 0 0.0
2022 Q2 4,025 3 0 745.3
2022 Q1 2,712 0 0 0.0
2021 Q4 2,269 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 3,010 0 0 0.0
2021 Q2 2,257 1 0 443.1
2021 Q1 2,298 1 0 435.2
2020 Q4 2,314 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 2,321 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 2,182 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 2,817 0 0 0.0
2019 Q4 3,245 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 3,103 1 0 322.3
2019 Q2 3,404 0 0 0.0
2019 Q1 4,371 0 0 0.0
2018 Q4 3,392 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 3,885 1 0 257.4
2018 Q2 3,165 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 2,981 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 3,257 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 4,163 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 3,652 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 4,139 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 3,213 2 1 622.5
2016 Q3 3,301 2 0 605.9
2016 Q2 2,446 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 2,764 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 4,140 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 3,836 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 4,449 1 0 224.8
2015 Q1 3,713 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 4,668 1 0 214.2
2014 Q3 4,293 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 4,440 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 4,115 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 4,878 1 1 205.0
2013 Q3 4,208 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 4,993 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 4,468 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 4,671 1 0 214.1
2012 Q3 4,162 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 4,805 2 0 416.2
2012 Q1 4,603 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 5,312 3 0 564.8
2011 Q3 4,484 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 5,153 1 0 194.1
2011 Q1 4,576 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 4,974 2 1 402.1
2010 Q3 4,851 7 6 1443.0
2010 Q2 5,062 2 1 395.1
2010 Q1 4,584 0 0 0.0
2009 Q4 5,140 2 2 389.1
2009 Q3 4,606 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 4,602 1 0 217.3
2009 Q1 4,903 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 5,184 1 1 192.9
2008 Q3 5,313 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 4,655 1 1 214.8
2008 Q1 4,593 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 3,784 1 1 264.3
2007 Q3 3,920 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 3,763 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 4,399 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 4,141 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 4,210 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 3,143 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 4,492 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 3,594 2 2 556.5
2005 Q3 4,050 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 4,014 1 0 249.1
2005 Q1 5,299 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 4,672 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 4,709 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 3,839 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 3,235 1 0 309.1
2003 Q4 3,579 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 3,231 2 2 619.0
2003 Q2 3,132 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 2,158 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 3,683 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 3,537 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 4,078 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 3,714 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 4,750 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 4,165 0 0 0.0
2001 Q2 4,982 1 1 200.7
2001 Q1 3,705 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 4,159 1 0 240.4
2000 Q3 2,998 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 3,610 1 1 277.0
2000 Q1 3,419 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

4 on file

2002 · 1 incident

October 17, 2002 PA · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Millcreek Processing · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

EMPLOYEE STATES HE TWISTED KNEE WHILE WALKING ACROSS YARD TO SAMPLE COAL.

2001 · 1 incident

July 18, 2001 PA · Coal beltman, conveyor man, conveyor belt worker, mobile bridge carrierman, feeder operator, conveyor rider POWERED HAULAGE
Millcreek Processing · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

DISMOUNTING MACHINE SLIPPED ON STEP. AS I SLIPPED HELD ONTO MACHINE HAND RAIL. ALL WEIGHT WAS ON RIGHT ARM CAUSING INJURY.

1993 · 1 incident

February 26, 1993 PA · Coal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Millcreek Processing · Struck by falling object

EMPLOYEE WAS REFUELING HIS LOADER AND WAS IN THE PROCESS OF POSITIONING THE STEEL SAFETY LOCK WHEN HE SLIPPED AND THE SAFETY LOCK FELL ON HIS THUMB FRACTURING IT.

1992 · 1 incident

July 16, 1992 PA · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman IGNITION OR EXPLOSION OF GAS OR DUST
Millcreek Processing · Contact with hot objects or substances

55061S INA MANHOLE CLEANING A FILTER ON A WATER PUMP AND WAS BEING BITTEN BY ANTS. EVEN THOUGH HE WAS ADVISED NOT TO HE PROCEEDED TO POUR GASOLINE AROUND THE TOP OF THE MANHOLE. INORDER TO KIL 30385 ANTS THEN HE CLIMBED BACK INTO THE MANHOLEAND TOLD A CO WORKER TO TURN ON THE PUM THE STARTING OF THE PUMP TRIGGERED AN EXPLOSION CAUSING THE INJURIES.