Sugar Hill: 12 MSHA citations Coal
Denali Energy Group LLC
· Surface
Controlled by
Conrad Whitaker; Jonathan Whitaker
Shanksville,
Somerset County,
PA
·
Temporarily Idled
MSHA Mine ID: 1519874
Sugar Hill has $1K in proposed MSHA penalties and $1K outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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- Fatalities
- 0
- Total incidents
- 0
- Years on record
- —
- Latest incident
- —
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2020
12
citations
1
significant & substantial
$1,110
proposed penalties
$0
paid to date
0% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $1,110 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2020
16
inspections on record
140
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: 140 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Sugar Hill has $1K in proposed MSHA penalties and $1K 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.$1K
proposed penalties
$1K
current assessed
$0
paid to date
$1K
outstanding
8 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $548 in penalties contested before the Commission, $548 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2021-06-29.
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.12.5%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
12.5%
reasonably likely or greater
12.5%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 25.0% low, 75.0% moderate, 0.0% 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.
4
citations taken to the federal commission · 33% of citations on record
- Stood as issued 4 · 100%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$548 proposed, $548 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 2020-12-16.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KENT 2021-0032 | Default | 2021 | $548 → $548 |
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
MSHA sampling at Sugar Hill shows 100% of 4 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: 2021-07-21, 5 years ago
ⓘ
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.100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
4
samples
0.44
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.4 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
- AUGER OPERATOR2
- AUGER HELPER1
- BACKHOE OPERATOR1
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: 2021-07-21, 5 years ago
ⓘ
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.0%
over PEL
6
samples
Most-sampled occupations
- AUGER OPERATOR3
- BACKHOE OPERATOR2
- AUGER HELPER1
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 100% | 2 |
| 2020 | 100% | 2 |
Noise by year
| Year | over PEL | samples |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 0% | 4 |
| 2020 | 0% | 2 |
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
- Frank Parks Contract Augering Inc 2019 to 2020
- Denali Energy Group LLC 2020 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
| Year | Employees |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Sugar Hill sits in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, where the Census mining category is 1.6% 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.Somerset County, Pennsylvania · Population 73,255
1.6%
Mining share of county employment
$59,378
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Q4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 Q3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 Q2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2021 Q1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020 Q4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020 Q3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2020 Q2 | 300 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2020 Q1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
No reportable incidents on file.
MSHA has no recorded reportable accidents for this mine in the current dataset. New reports appear here within a week of being filed.