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Sherman Breaker: 119 MSHA citations Coal

Zerbe-Tremont, Schuylkill County, PA  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 3607276

Sherman Breaker has $17K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 8 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
3
Years on record
1988–2001
Latest incident
Jul 2001
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
119
citations
30
significant & substantial
$17,226
proposed penalties
$17,016
paid to date
99% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $210 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Sherman Mountain Coal Company Inc.'s full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
114
inspections on record
2,665
inspection hours
4.5
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.
119 citations across 2,665 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Sherman Breaker has $17K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 8 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.
$17K
proposed penalties
$17K
current assessed
$17K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
119 assessments are final orders; 8 contested dockets.
Of $1K in penalties contested before the Commission, $893 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-04-30.
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.
25.2%
significant & substantial
0.8%
high negligence or reckless
25.2%
reasonably likely or greater
22.7%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 37.0% low, 62.2% moderate, 0.8% 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.
9 citations taken to the federal commission · 8% of citations on record
  • Settled 8 · 89%
  • Stood as issued 1 · 11%
39%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$660 proposed, $400 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 2010-01-28.
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
PENN20030044 Default Barbour 2003 $433 → $433
PENN 2008-359 Settlement Lesnick 2008 $200 → $200
PENN 2007-48 Settlement Lesnick 2007 $180 → $100
PENN20010061 Settlement Barbour 2001 $110 → $60
PENN 2010-279 Dismissal Harner 2011 $100 → $0
PENN 2006-152 Settlement Lesnick 2006 $60 → $35
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Sherman Breaker shows 100% of 235 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: 2026-08-20
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
235
samples
2.04
dust max (mg/m3)
1
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.
191 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 44 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • LABORER/BLACKSMITH110
  • CLEANING PLANT OPERATOR66
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER46

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2026-04-30
1.2
silica avg (%)
40
samples
3.0
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CLEANING PLANT OPERATOR21
  • LABORER/BLACKSMITH19
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: 2026-04-22
7%
over PEL
131
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • LABORER/BLACKSMITH61
  • CLEANING PLANT OPERATOR31
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER27
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
2026 80% 5
2025 100% 10
2024 100% 6
2023 100% 7
2022 100% 6
2021 100% 4
2020 100% 10
2019 100% 8
2018 100% 5
2017 100% 12
2016 100% 3
2015 100% 4
2014 100% 8
2013 100% 16
2012 100% 6
2011 100% 17
2010 100% 17
2009 100% 13
2008 100% 11
2007 100% 6
2006 100% 3
2005 100% 8
2004 100% 13
2003 100% 10
2002 100% 9
2001 100% 8
2000 100% 10
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2026 1.4 3
2025 2.9 3
2024 0.5 3
2023 2.0 4
2021 1.5 1
2019 1.0 3
2018 1.9 2
2017 0.7 3
2015 1.6 2
2014 1.8 2
2013 0.4 1
2011 0.1 1
2010 0.6 2
2009 0.3 1
2008 0.6 1
2006 1
2005 0.4 1
2003 1.7 2
2002 0.4 2
2001 1.1 2
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2026 33% 3
2025 0% 6
2024 20% 5
2023 0% 3
2022 0% 3
2021 0% 4
2020 0% 8
2019 0% 5
2017 0% 9
2016 0% 4
2015 0% 4
2014 0% 8
2013 0% 9
2012 0% 7
2011 0% 10
2010 25% 12
2008 20% 5
2007 0% 3
2006 40% 5
2005 0% 3
2004 0% 5
2003 0% 4
2002 0% 3
2001 0% 2
2000 100% 1
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Sherman Breaker recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2013.

Injury rate, 2013
ⓘ 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
No reportable injury cases in any year shown. Employee-hours were reported in each of those years, so these are true zeros rather than missing data. Citations, listed in the compliance record above, are inspector-found violations and are counted separately from worker injuries.
Below average. The US coal mining average was 3.94 and the all-US-mining average was 2.99 cases per 100 workers.
In Pennsylvania, coal mining averaged 4.76 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
2013 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2012 * 0.00 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.
Ownership history
  1. Shermans Coal Company 1982 to 1991
  2. Morrison Coal Company Inc 1991 to 1994
  3. Sherman Mountain Coal Company Inc. 1994 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 4
2025 6
2024 6
2023 6
2021 4
2020 4
2019 7
2018 8
2017 8
2016 8
2015 7
2014 8
2013 8
2012 8
2011 8
2010 8
2009 8
2008 6
2007 5
2006 7
2005 7
2004 7
2003 6
2002 6
2001 5
2000 5
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Sherman 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
2026 Q2 1,340 7 4 5223.9
2026 Q1 1,920 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 2,880 3 1 1041.7
2025 Q3 2,400 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 2,880 1 0 347.2
2025 Q1 2,880 2 0 694.4
2024 Q4 2,880 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 2,880 12 7 4166.7
Show 90 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 2,400 0 0 0.0
2024 Q1 2,880 5 0 1736.1
2023 Q4 2,880 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 2,880 0 0 0.0
2023 Q2 2,880 6 2 2083.3
2023 Q1 2,400 7 1 2916.7
2021 Q1 1,880 1 0 531.9
2020 Q4 2,050 4 0 1951.2
2020 Q3 1,040 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 3,822 0 0 0.0
2019 Q4 4,459 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 3,822 1 1 261.6
2019 Q2 4,459 1 0 224.3
2019 Q1 4,459 0 0 0.0
2018 Q4 4,459 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 5,096 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 4,459 1 0 224.3
2018 Q1 5,096 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 5,096 1 0 196.2
2017 Q3 4,459 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 5,096 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 5,096 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 5,096 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 5,096 1 0 196.2
2016 Q2 5,096 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 4,459 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 4,459 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 5,096 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 4,459 1 0 224.3
2015 Q1 4,459 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 4,459 3 0 672.8
2014 Q3 5,096 1 0 196.2
2014 Q2 5,096 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 5,096 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 5,096 1 0 196.2
2013 Q3 5,096 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 5,096 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 5,096 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 5,096 1 0 196.2
2012 Q3 5,096 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 5,096 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 5,096 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 5,096 1 0 196.2
2011 Q3 5,096 1 0 196.2
2011 Q2 5,096 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 4,488 1 0 222.8
2010 Q4 5,096 0 0 0.0
2010 Q3 4,886 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 5,200 1 0 192.3
2010 Q1 4,116 4 1 971.8
2009 Q4 6,272 2 1 318.9
2009 Q3 4,137 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 4,320 1 0 231.5
2009 Q1 4,399 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 4,247 4 0 941.8
2008 Q3 2,925 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 2,925 1 0 341.9
2008 Q1 900 2 0 2222.2
2007 Q4 3,390 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 3,390 1 0 295.0
2007 Q2 2,925 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 2,925 2 0 683.8
2006 Q4 4,025 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 4,025 3 0 745.3
2006 Q2 4,500 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 3,855 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 4,551 1 0 219.7
2005 Q3 4,551 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 3,868 1 0 258.5
2005 Q1 4,447 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 3,705 1 0 269.9
2004 Q3 3,705 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 3,445 2 1 580.6
2004 Q1 3,375 3 2 888.9
2003 Q4 3,679 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 3,360 1 0 297.6
2003 Q2 2,794 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 3,720 1 0 268.8
2002 Q4 2,850 1 0 350.9
2002 Q3 3,120 5 4 1602.6
2002 Q2 2,867 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 2,730 7 4 2564.1
2001 Q4 2,765 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 2,379 1 0 420.3
2001 Q2 1,904 0 0 0.0
2001 Q1 2,450 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 2,426 2 0 824.4
2000 Q3 1,920 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 1,442 0 0 0.0
2000 Q1 2,560 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

3 on file

2001 · 1 incident

July 5, 2001 PA · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman DUST DISEASE OF LUNGS
Sherman Mountain Coal Company Inc. · Inhalation of radiations, caustics, toxic and noxious substances

ON 4 JULY 2001 EMPLOYEE WAS ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL. I WAS ADVISED BY HIS WIFE THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO RETURN TO WORK DUE TO SHORTNESS OF BREATH CAUSED BY BLOOD CLOTS IN HIS LUNGS (BLACK LUNG).

1990 · 1 incident

December 19, 1990 PA · Coal front-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operator SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Shermans Coal Company · Fall from machine

GETTING IN LOADER SLIPPED ON ICE COVERED LADDER LANDED ON PLATOFRM FELL TO GROUND

1988 · 1 incident

May 11, 1988 PA · Coal warehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operator POWERED HAULAGE
Shermans Coal Company · Caught in, under or between (Not Elsewhere Classified)

V BELT WAS SLIPPING ON DRIVE OF WORM. EMPL GRABBED BELT TO CREATE TENSION TO GET BELT MOVING. BELT STARTED TO DRIVE & PULLED EMPL HAND INTO SPROCKET SMASHING HIS FINGERTIP.