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Smith Mine: 15 MSHA citations Coal

Shady Plain, Armstrong County, PA  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 3607862

Smith Mine has $1K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
4
Years on record
1991–2001
Latest incident
Sep 2001
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
15
citations
5
significant & substantial
$1,072
proposed penalties
$1,072
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See AMFIRE Mining Company LLC's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
51
inspections on record
334
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: 334 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Smith Mine has $1K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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.
$1K
proposed penalties
$1K
current assessed
$1K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
15 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2005-03-09.
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.
33.3%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
33.3%
reasonably likely or greater
0.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 6.7% low, 93.3% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Smith Mine shows 100% of 26 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: 2005-04-05, 21 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
26
samples
0.91
dust max (mg/m3)
26 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER11
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR10
  • AUGER OPERATOR2

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2001-06-19, 25 years ago
21.7
silica avg (%)
1
samples
21.7
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER 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: 2005-01-20, 21 years ago
17%
over PEL
18
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER6
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR5
  • AUGER OPERATOR4
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
2005 100% 4
2004 100% 4
2003 100% 2
2002 100% 7
2001 100% 5
2000 100% 4
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2005 0% 2
2004 0% 2
2002 29% 7
2001 20% 5
2000 0% 2
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. Mears Enterprises Inc 1987 to 2003
  2. AMFIRE Mining Company LLC 2003 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 3 11,643
2004 3 15,243
2003 3 4,938
2002 6 26,383
2001 6 36,215
2000 6 27,634
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Smith Mine sits in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, where the Census mining category is 2.2% 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.
Armstrong County, Pennsylvania · Population 65,069
2.2%
Mining share of county employment
$64,295
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 946 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 2,702 2 0 740.2
2004 Q4 1,538 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 1,183 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 1,210 1 1 826.4
2004 Q1 1,520 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 1,137 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 1,223 0 0 0.0
Show 14 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2003 Q2 646 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 0 0 0
2002 Q4 952 1 0 1050.4
2002 Q3 3,467 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 1,435 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 408 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 1,834 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 2,603 0 0 0.0
2001 Q2 2,520 4 2 1587.3
2001 Q1 2,319 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 1,561 2 0 1281.2
2000 Q3 2,058 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 1,501 0 0 0.0
2000 Q1 2,004 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

4 on file

2001 · 1 incident

September 4, 2001 PA · Coal auger operator, auger crew supervisor HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Mears Enterprises Inc · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

HELPER WAS SWINGING SLEDGEHAMMER AND LET GO OF IT WHEN EE WAS HOLDING THE AUGER INJURING HIS LEFT 4TH FINGER. BREAKING 4TH FINGER ON LEFT HAND.

2000 · 1 incident

March 10, 2000 PA · Coal auger operator, auger crew supervisor POWERED HAULAGE
Mears Enterprises Inc · Caught in, under or between (Not Elsewhere Classified)

WHEN REMOVING CONVEYOR FROM THE HIGHWALL, THE CUTTING HEAD PUSHED THE CONVEYOR UP IN THE AIR. EE TRIED TO HOLD THE CONVEYOR DOWN AND HIS LEFT HAND BECAME CAUGHT BETWEEN THE HOIST ON THE AUGER MACHINE AND THE CONVEYOR CUTTING THE PALM OF HIS HAND.

1997 · 1 incident

August 26, 1997 PA · Coal auger operator, auger crew supervisor POWERED HAULAGE
Mears Enterprises Inc · Struck by flying object

WATCHING CONVEYOR AND SHOVELING COAL WHEN A PIECE OF COAL CAME OFF CONVEYOR AND GOT IN RT EYE.

1991 · 1 incident