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Hillside Breaker: 39 MSHA citations Coal

Hegins Mining Company · Facility
Controlled by Richard J Withelder
Zerbe, Schuylkill County, PA  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 3601854

Hillside Breaker has $4K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 2 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
2
Years on record
1985–1999
Latest incident
Feb 1999
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2004
39
citations
13
significant & substantial
$3,621
proposed penalties
$3,621
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Hegins Mining Company's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
83
inspections on record
1,333
inspection hours
2.9
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.
39 citations across 1,333 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Hillside Breaker has $4K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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.
$4K
proposed penalties
$4K
current assessed
$4K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
33 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $400 in penalties contested before the Commission, $300 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2014-11-17.
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.
38.2%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
36.4%
reasonably likely or greater
15.2%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 21.2% low, 78.8% 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 · 10% of citations on record
  • Settled 3 · 75%
  • Vacated or withdrawn 1 · 25%
50%
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 2 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
25%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$400 proposed, $300 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 2010-12-28.
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 2011-102 Settlement Lesnick 2011 $200 → $200
PENN 2011-138 Settlement Lesnick 2011 $200 → $100
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Hillside Breaker shows 100% of 81 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: 2014-12-22, 11 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
81
samples
0.42
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.
81 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • LABORER/BLACKSMITH30
  • CLEANING PLANT OPERATOR27
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER15

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: 2015-01-05, 11 years ago
15%
over PEL
53
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • CLEANING PLANT OPERATOR20
  • LABORER/BLACKSMITH20
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER11
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
2014 100% 1
2012 100% 2
2011 100% 8
2010 100% 12
2009 100% 6
2008 100% 8
2007 100% 6
2006 100% 8
2005 100% 6
2004 100% 6
2003 100% 3
2002 100% 5
2001 100% 3
2000 100% 7
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2015 0% 1
2011 0% 4
2010 0% 8
2009 0% 4
2008 17% 6
2007 25% 4
2006 50% 10
2005 0% 6
2003 0% 3
2002 0% 3
2001 0% 3
2000 100% 1
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. Hegins Mining Company 1950 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2017 0
2016 1
2015 1
2012 3
2011 3
2010 4
2009 4
2008 3
2007 4
2006 4
2005 4
2004 4
2003 3
2002 3
2001 3
2000 4
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Hillside Breaker 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
2017 Q1 0 0 0
2016 Q4 0 0 0
2016 Q3 0 0 0
2016 Q2 77 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 164 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 0 0 0
2015 Q3 35 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 160 0 0 0.0
Show 50 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2015 Q1 480 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 362 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 925 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 1,084 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 964 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 1,556 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 1,082 4 2 3696.9
2010 Q3 841 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 1,214 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 1,426 2 0 1402.5
2009 Q4 1,429 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 1,393 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 1,237 2 1 1616.8
2009 Q1 1,583 1 0 631.7
2008 Q4 1,422 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 1,110 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 1,169 1 0 855.4
2008 Q1 1,363 1 0 733.7
2007 Q4 1,585 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 1,617 1 0 618.4
2007 Q2 1,599 1 1 625.4
2007 Q1 1,666 2 1 1200.5
2006 Q4 1,443 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 1,625 1 0 615.4
2006 Q2 1,664 2 2 1201.9
2006 Q1 1,799 4 0 2223.5
2005 Q4 1,835 1 0 545.0
2005 Q3 1,161 1 0 861.3
2005 Q2 1,284 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 1,830 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 1,578 3 0 1901.1
2004 Q3 1,271 7 5 5507.5
2004 Q2 1,373 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 1,736 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 1,531 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 1,056 0 0 0.0
2003 Q2 827 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 1,181 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 1,013 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 593 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 591 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 843 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 934 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 664 0 0 0.0
2001 Q2 645 0 0 0.0
2001 Q1 1,603 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 1,217 0 0 0.0
2000 Q3 698 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 794 0 0 0.0
2000 Q1 1,280 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

2 on file

1999 · 1 incident

February 5, 1999 PA · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Hegins Mining Company · Fall down stairs

SUDDEN BREAKING AWAY OF STEP ALLOWED EE TO FALL ABOUT 20" AND LANDING ON UPPER LEFT ARM RESULTING AS A STRAIN TO THE UPPER LEFT ARM.

1985 · 1 incident

November 22, 1985 PA · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman POWERED HAULAGE
Hegins Mining Company · Caught in, under or between (Not Elsewhere Classified)

FEEDING COAL FR2M MINE RUN HOPPER EMPLOYEE LEFT THUMB GOT PINCHED BETWEEN TWO LUMPS OF COAL LACERATING LEFT THUMB