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Lorencito Canyon Mine: 27 MSHA citations Coal

Weston, Las Animas County, CO  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 0504712

Lorencito Canyon Mine has $2K in proposed MSHA penalties and $55 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
6
Years on record
2001–2002
Latest incident
Apr 2002
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2001
27
citations
7
significant & substantial
$1,699
proposed penalties
$1,644
paid to date
97% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $55 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Lorencito Coal Company, LLC's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2001
21
inspections on record
246
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: 246 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Lorencito Canyon Mine has $2K in proposed MSHA penalties and $55 outstanding across 0 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
$2K
paid to date
$55
outstanding
27 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2003-05-07.
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.
25.9%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
25.9%
reasonably likely or greater
0.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 7.4% low, 92.6% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Lorencito Canyon Mine shows 100% of 12 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: 2003-05-06, 23 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
12
samples
1.09
dust max (mg/m3)
12 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR4
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER2
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR1

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2002-04-23, 24 years ago
9.2
silica avg (%)
1
samples
9.2
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • COAL SHOVEL OPERATOR1
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: 2003-05-06, 23 years ago
0%
over PEL
12
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR4
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR1
  • COAL TRUCK DRIVER1
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
2003 100% 2
2002 100% 5
2001 100% 5
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2003 0% 2
2002 0% 5
2001 0% 5
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Lorencito Canyon Mine recorded 14.94 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2002.

Injury rate, 2002
ⓘ 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.
14.94
total case rate
11.95
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 6.89 and the all-US-mining average was 5.05 cases per 100 workers.
In Colorado, coal mining averaged 6.28 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.
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.
Ownership history
  1. Lorencito Coal Company, LLC 2001 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)
2005 1
2004 1
2003 2
2002 30 204,249
2001 34 13,097
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Lorencito Canyon Mine sits in Las Animas County, Colorado, where the Census mining category is 2.5% 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.
Las Animas County, Colorado · Population 14,392
2.5%
Mining share of county employment
$50,408
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
2005 Q2 240 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 520 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 560 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 480 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 0 0 0
2003 Q2 3 4 1 1333333.3
2003 Q1 1,530 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 7,796 0 0 0.0
Show 4 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2002 Q3 9,959 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 25,496 8 2 313.8
2002 Q1 23,695 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 19,583 2 0 102.1
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

6 on file

2002 · 5 incidents

April 16, 2002 CO · Coal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Lorencito Coal Company, LLC · Fall from machine

EE WAS GETTING OFF LOADER FOR DINNER & SLIPPED ON STEP (TOP) AND FELL ABOUT 5'TO THE BOTTOM OF THE LANDING.

January 31, 2002 CO · Coal truck driver POWERED HAULAGE
Lorencito Coal Company, LLC · Struck against a moving object

LOADER DRIVER LET THE BOOM DOWN, THE ROCKS & SOIL FELL IN THE BED OF THE ROCK TRUCK AND IT SHOOK AND IT JARRED EE. NOTE: THE BOOM OF THE LOADER HIT THE ROCK TRUCK FIRST.

2001 · 1 incident

November 14, 2001 CO · Coal truck driver POWERED HAULAGE
Lorencito Coal Company, LLC · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

EE WAS FUELING TRIPLE 7 ROCK TRUCK & OPERATOR OF ROCK TRUCK PULLED AWAY WHILE FUEL HOSE WAS HOOKED TO TRUCK. FUEL HOSE TWISTED EE SLIGHTLY. STILL WORKING, NO LOST TIME.