Kingston West has $28K in proposed MSHA penalties and $16K outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
6
Years on record
2012–2015
Latest incident
Dec 2015
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2013
110
citations
25
significant & substantial
$27,614
proposed penalties
$11,499
paid to date
42% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $16,115 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2012
104
inspections on record
4,141
inspection hours
2.7
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.
110 citations across 4,141 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Imminent-danger orders
ⓘA Section 107(a) order removes miners from an area when an inspector finds an imminent danger. Each order is lifted once the condition is corrected, so this counts orders issued, not orders now in effect.
1
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2015-10-21.
On record since 2015.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
Kingston West has $28K in proposed MSHA penalties and $16K 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.
$28K
proposed penalties
$28K
current assessed
$11K
paid to date
$16K
outstanding
106 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $200 in penalties contested before the Commission, $200 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2023-10-16.
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.
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.
2citations taken to the federal commission · 2% of citations on record
Settled
2 · 100%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$200 proposed, $200 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 2015-11-09.
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.
MSHA sampling at Kingston West shows 98% of 164 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: 2016-02-18, 10 years ago
98%
within 1.5 mg/m3
164
samples
2.61
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.
102 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 62 by the operator.
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.
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.
Kingston West recorded 6.53 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2015.
Injury rate, 2015
ⓘThis rate is reportable injury cases per 100 full-time-equivalent workers per year, computed as 200,000 times cases divided by MSHA operator-reported employee-hours. Cases are injuries MSHA graded degree 01 through 07; accident-only events that hurt no one are excluded, and so are contractor injuries, whose hours do not attach to a single mine. Rates begin in 2000, when quarterly employment reporting starts, and are withheld below 20,000 hours in a year.
6.53
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.76 and the all-US-mining average was 2.72 cases per 100 workers.
In Pennsylvania, coal mining averaged 3.79 cases per 100 workers that year.
Under 100,000 employee-hours were reported that year, so a single case moves the rate by two or more. Read the figure as approximate.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2015 *
6.53
0.00
0.000
2014 *
8.56
4.28
0.000
* Fewer than 100,000 employee-hours that year; the rate is less stable.
Source: injury cases from MSHA accident and injury records; employee-hours from MSHA quarterly employment reports. Rate is cases per 100 full-time-equivalent workers, operator employees only.
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)
2023
2
2022
3
2021
3
2020
3
2019
3
2018
2
2017
3
2016
6
21,371
2015
15
86,518
2014
20
125,869
2013
8
15,344
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Kingston West sits in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, where the Census mining category is 0.5% 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.
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania · Population 353,345
0.5%
Mining share of county employment
$72,468
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
2023 Q3
1,090
0
0
0.0
2023 Q2
1,118
0
0
0.0
2023 Q1
871
0
0
0.0
2022 Q4
939
0
0
0.0
2022 Q3
1,262
0
0
0.0
2022 Q1
1,028
0
0
0.0
2021 Q4
1,102
0
0
0.0
2021 Q3
1,130
0
0
0.0
Show 31 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2021 Q2
1,105
0
0
0.0
2021 Q1
1,224
0
0
0.0
2020 Q4
1,106
0
0
0.0
2020 Q3
1,049
0
0
0.0
2020 Q2
1,108
0
0
0.0
2020 Q1
982
0
0
0.0
2019 Q4
1,074
1
0
931.1
2019 Q3
1,041
0
0
0.0
2019 Q2
1,038
0
0
0.0
2019 Q1
1,178
1
0
848.9
2018 Q4
1,158
0
0
0.0
2018 Q3
1,184
1
0
844.6
2018 Q2
1,027
0
0
0.0
2018 Q1
1,764
1
0
566.9
2017 Q4
748
1
0
1336.9
2017 Q3
728
1
0
1373.6
2016 Q4
944
0
0
0.0
2016 Q3
936
2
0
2136.8
2016 Q2
788
2
0
2538.1
2016 Q1
5,637
2
1
354.8
2015 Q4
8,888
13
6
1462.6
2015 Q3
8,272
10
2
1208.9
2015 Q2
5,553
7
2
1260.6
2015 Q1
7,936
16
4
2016.1
2014 Q4
12,196
7
0
574.0
2014 Q3
15,566
7
4
449.7
2014 Q2
9,449
10
0
1058.3
2014 Q1
9,517
3
1
315.2
2013 Q4
5,834
10
3
1714.1
2013 Q3
1,295
3
1
2316.6
2013 Q2
520
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
6 on file
2015 · 1 incident
December 14, 2015PA · Coalroof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs)MACHINERY
While making a left turn with his shuttle car he raised his left arm to push a run through check out of his line of sight. At that time the car slid sideways pinching his left arm between the rib and the shuttle car.
October 24, 2014PA · Coalroof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs)HANDLING OF MATERIALS
While changing drill steels a piece of rock slid down the drill steel pinching his little finger between the drill steels causing a laceration and possible broken finger.
2013 · 2 incidents
October 17, 2013PA · Coalroof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs)MACHINERY
While sliding a "C" channel to the front of the bolter, employee had his fingers in the slot of the channel, the channel slid over a crib block amputating the tip of his right hand ring finger.