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: 402 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
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: 2012-09-19.
On record since 2012.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
North Washington has $28K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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
$23K
current assessed
$23K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
44 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $9K in penalties contested before the Commission, $4K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2015-08-06.
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.
1citations taken to the federal commission · 2% of citations on record
Settled
1 · 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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 1 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
60%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$9K proposed, $4K 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 2012-11-30.
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.
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.
Metal and nonmetal contaminants (personal samples)
ⓘMany samples are screening measurements of substances with no applicable exposure limit; they are counted as samples but excluded from every over-limit figure. Over-limit shares use only limit-tested samples.
Last sampled: 2014-08-21, 12 years ago
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
5
samples
3
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz2
Respirable dust, <.1mg2
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (5)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2014-08-21
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.87
2.27
0.38
Laborer, Bullgang
2011-05-24
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.15
0.68
0.22
Backhoe Operator
2011-05-24
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Truck Driver
2011-05-24
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.13
10
0.01
Drill Operator, Jumbo Perc.
2011-05-24
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Backhoe Operator
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly. Metal/nonmetal contaminant figures come from MSHA's Personal Health Samples and Area Samples files (public record), updated weekly.
North Washington recorded 0.00 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.
0.00
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US metal and nonmetal mining average was 2.26 and the all-US-mining average was 2.72 cases per 100 workers.
In Pennsylvania, metal and nonmetal mining averaged 3.18 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 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2014 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2013 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2012 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2011 *
2.46
2.46
0.000
2010 *
7.56
0.00
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
Year
Employees
2019
0
2018
0
2017
1
2016
4
2015
10
2014
16
2013
23
2012
35
2011
30
2010
13
2009
5
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
North Washington sits in Butler 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.
Butler County, Pennsylvania · Population 195,870
0.5%
Mining share of county employment
$86,775
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
The employee was assisting a mechanic in blocking equipment from movement. The employee was on his knees moving a 6x6 24" long (about 15lbs). He picked the blocking up less than a foot from the ground, and felt pain in his back. The pain, at times, went down his legs. Employee transferred himself home.
2010 · 1 incident
March 7, 2010PA · Metal/Non-Metalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorHANDLING OF MATERIALS
The employee was replacing blocking material under the portable plant structure. The 6 x 6 x 4ft wooden blocking was being set in place when it slipped from the employees hands and fell down. When it fell, the employee did not have time to move his hand and the blocking fell onto the end of his left ring finger.