Tacoma Plant has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $3K outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
1989
Latest incident
Feb 1989
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2003
42
citations
16
significant & substantial
$4,702
proposed penalties
$2,156
paid to date
46% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $2,546 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
36
inspections on record
506
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: 506 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Tacoma Plant has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $3K 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.
$5K
proposed penalties
$5K
current assessed
$2K
paid to date
$3K
outstanding
41 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $800 in penalties contested before the Commission, $800 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2010-03-16.
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
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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
$800 proposed, $800 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 2004-09-22.
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 Tacoma Plant shows 100% of 20 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: 2010-03-17, 16 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
20
samples
0.89
dust max (mg/m3)
20 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER7
TIPPLE OPERATOR7
UTILITY MAN3
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.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year
Employees
2010
5
2008
0
2007
0
2006
0
2005
0
2004
1
2003
2
2002
1
2001
1
2000
1
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Tacoma Plant sits in Wise County, Virginia, where the Census mining category is 5.9% 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.
Wise County, Virginia · Population 35,727
5.9%
Mining share of county employment
$50,740
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
2010 Q2
860
0
0
0.0
2010 Q1
2,597
1
0
385.1
2008 Q3
0
0
0
2008 Q1
0
1
0
2007 Q4
0
0
0
2007 Q3
0
9
4
2007 Q2
0
1
0
2007 Q1
0
0
0
Show 28 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2006 Q4
0
0
0
2006 Q3
0
1
1
2006 Q2
0
0
0
2006 Q1
0
0
0
2005 Q4
0
4
1
2005 Q3
0
8
4
2005 Q2
0
0
0
2005 Q1
0
0
0
2004 Q4
760
0
0
0.0
2004 Q3
760
5
1
6578.9
2004 Q2
115
3
0
26087.0
2004 Q1
694
1
1
1440.9
2003 Q4
960
2
2
2083.3
2003 Q3
1,620
1
0
617.3
2003 Q2
300
0
0
0.0
2003 Q1
480
0
0
0.0
2002 Q4
480
0
0
0.0
2002 Q3
400
0
0
0.0
2002 Q2
240
0
0
0.0
2002 Q1
150
0
0
0.0
2001 Q4
300
0
0
0.0
2001 Q3
120
0
0
0.0
2001 Q2
480
0
0
0.0
2001 Q1
420
0
0
0.0
2000 Q4
420
0
0
0.0
2000 Q3
300
0
0
0.0
2000 Q2
300
0
0
0.0
2000 Q1
360
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
1 on file
1989 · 1 incident
February 8, 1989VA · Coallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON