Belle Vernon, Westmoreland County,
PA
·
Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 3608262
Southern Division Strips has $16K in proposed MSHA penalties and $12 outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
2
Years on record
1996
Latest incident
Aug 1996
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2001
36
citations
13
significant & substantial
$16,373
proposed penalties
$16,361
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $12 gap.
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: 825 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Southern Division Strips has $16K in proposed MSHA penalties and $12 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.
$16K
proposed penalties
$16K
current assessed
$16K
paid to date
$12
outstanding
35 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $9K in penalties contested before the Commission, $9K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2019-01-30.
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.
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 · 3% of citations on record
Stood as issued
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$9K proposed, $9K 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 2019-02-11.
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 Southern Division Strips shows 100% of 114 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: 2019-03-06, 7 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
114
samples
0.54
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.
93 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 21 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.
Southern Division Strips recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2018.
Injury rate, 2018
ⓘ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 3.34 and the all-US-mining average was 2.33 cases per 100 workers.
In Pennsylvania, coal mining averaged 4.27 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
2018 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2017 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2011 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2007 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2006 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2005 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2003 *
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.
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)
2019
3
2018
16
119,888
2017
18
139,374
2016
17
6,972
2014
8
2012
10
53,199
2011
14
65,980
2010
8
2009
7
2008
7
2007
14
115,371
2006
11
67,354
2005
14
119,652
2004
6
2003
11
70,503
2002
11
65,660
2001
8
41,883
2000
6
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Southern Division Strips 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
2019 Q1
171
1
0
5848.0
2018 Q4
3,951
2
0
506.2
2018 Q3
5,116
3
2
586.4
2018 Q2
5,108
0
0
0.0
2018 Q1
6,045
6
1
992.6
2017 Q4
6,672
0
0
0.0
2017 Q3
5,417
3
1
553.8
2017 Q2
5,192
0
0
0.0
Show 53 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2017 Q1
5,704
2
0
350.6
2016 Q4
3,772
0
0
0.0
2014 Q4
101
0
0
0.0
2014 Q3
1,140
0
0
0.0
2012 Q4
1,337
0
0
0.0
2012 Q3
4,702
0
0
0.0
2012 Q2
3,329
0
0
0.0
2012 Q1
8,047
0
0
0.0
2011 Q4
3,995
1
0
250.3
2011 Q3
9,969
0
0
0.0
2011 Q2
7,283
2
2
274.6
2011 Q1
8,485
1
0
117.9
2010 Q4
3,721
0
0
0.0
2010 Q3
3,360
0
0
0.0
2010 Q2
3,360
0
0
0.0
2010 Q1
3,360
0
0
0.0
2009 Q4
3,360
0
0
0.0
2009 Q3
3,360
0
0
0.0
2009 Q2
3,360
0
0
0.0
2009 Q1
3,360
0
0
0.0
2008 Q4
3,360
0
0
0.0
2008 Q3
3,360
0
0
0.0
2008 Q2
3,360
0
0
0.0
2008 Q1
3,360
0
0
0.0
2007 Q4
5,011
0
0
0.0
2007 Q3
7,202
0
0
0.0
2007 Q2
7,550
4
1
529.8
2007 Q1
7,490
0
0
0.0
2006 Q4
6,311
0
0
0.0
2006 Q3
5,946
0
0
0.0
2006 Q2
3,360
0
0
0.0
2006 Q1
4,943
0
0
0.0
2005 Q4
7,107
3
1
422.1
2005 Q3
7,863
0
0
0.0
2005 Q2
7,510
0
0
0.0
2005 Q1
4,286
0
0
0.0
2004 Q3
2,880
0
0
0.0
2004 Q2
2,880
0
0
0.0
2004 Q1
2,880
0
0
0.0
2003 Q4
3,296
0
0
0.0
2003 Q3
9,916
0
0
0.0
2003 Q2
6,067
1
1
164.8
2003 Q1
2,880
0
0
0.0
2002 Q4
5,462
0
0
0.0
2002 Q3
8,435
1
0
118.6
2002 Q2
4,135
0
0
0.0
2002 Q1
0
0
0
2001 Q4
0
0
0
2001 Q3
0
0
0
2001 Q2
5,315
0
0
0.0
2001 Q1
8,086
3
2
371.0
2000 Q2
2,880
0
0
0.0
2000 Q1
2,880
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
2 on file
1996 · 2 incidents
August 22, 1996PA · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON