Mining Incidents

Cherep #1: 14 MSHA citations Coal

Cherep Excavating · Surface
Controlled by John Cherep
Oakdale, Allegheny County, PA  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 3607443

Cherep #1 has $2K in proposed MSHA penalties and $638 outstanding across 2 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 2012
14
citations
4
significant & substantial
$1,668
proposed penalties
$973
paid to date
58% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $695 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2012
22
inspections on record
452
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: 452 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Cherep #1 has $2K in proposed MSHA penalties and $638 outstanding across 2 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.
$2K
proposed penalties
$2K
current assessed
$973
paid to date
$638
outstanding
14 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $597 in penalties contested before the Commission, $540 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2017-03-08.
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.
28.6%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
28.6%
reasonably likely or greater
28.6%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 14.3% low, 85.7% 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.
4 citations taken to the federal commission · 29% of citations on record
  • Settled 1 · 25%
  • Stood as issued 3 · 75%
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%
10%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$597 proposed, $540 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 2014-06-02.
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 2014-0857 Default Lesnick 2015 $312 → $312
PENN 2013-173 Settlement Harner 2013 $285 → $228
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Cherep #1 shows 100% of 39 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: 2018-06-07, 8 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
39
samples
0.61
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.
25 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 14 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR23
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR9
  • MINE FOREMAN/MINE MANAGER3

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: 2017-11-30, 8 years ago
0%
over PEL
13
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR5
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR5
  • MINE FOREMAN/MINE MANAGER2
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
2018 100% 5
2017 100% 9
2016 100% 9
2015 100% 7
2014 100% 4
2013 100% 3
2012 100% 2
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2017 0% 4
2016 0% 2
2014 0% 3
2013 0% 2
2012 0% 2
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. Cherep Excavating 1983 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)
2018 3 4,161
2017 3 13,844
2016 3 7,516
2015 3 4,488
2014 2 1,965
2013 3 5,529
2012 2 3,960
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Cherep #1 sits in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, where the Census mining category is 0.2% 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.
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania · Population 1,240,476
0.2%
Mining share of county employment
$76,393
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
2018 Q3 360 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 480 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 960 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 960 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 1,560 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 1,320 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 1,320 1 0 757.6
2016 Q4 1,320 0 0 0.0
Show 17 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2016 Q3 1,440 2 0 1388.9
2016 Q2 1,440 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 720 1 0 1388.9
2015 Q4 1,560 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 1,400 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 1,200 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 120 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 240 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 240 1 0 4166.7
2014 Q2 240 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 160 3 0 18750.0
2013 Q4 840 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 960 1 0 1041.7
2013 Q2 1,040 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 840 3 2 3571.4
2012 Q4 960 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 960 2 2 2083.3

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.