Turlington Strip Mine: 26 MSHA citations
Coal
Fairfield,
Freestone County,
TX
·
Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 4104802
Turlington Strip Mine has $9K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 4 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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- Fatalities
- 0
- Total incidents
- 5
- Years on record
- 2010–2011
- Latest incident
- Sep 2011
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2010
5
significant & substantial
$8,931
proposed penalties
86% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $1,225 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2010
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: 330 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Turlington Strip Mine has $9K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 4 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.
25 assessments are final orders; 4 contested dockets.
Of $6K in penalties contested before the Commission, $4K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2011-09-08.
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.
20.0%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
24.0%
reasonably likely or greater
8.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 16.0% low, 84.0% 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 · 15% of citations on record
-
Settled
3 · 75%
-
Stood as issued
1 · 25%
67%
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 3 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
21%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$6K proposed, $4K 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 2012-11-30.
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 |
| CENT 2013-160 |
Settlement |
Manning |
2013 |
$5K → $4K |
| CENT 2012-64 |
Settlement |
Lesnick |
2012 |
$362 → $200 |
| CENT 2012-527 |
Settlement |
Manning |
2013 |
$263 → $200 |
| CENT 2012-45 |
Dismissal |
Lesnick |
2012 |
$100 → $100 |
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
MSHA sampling at Turlington Strip Mine shows 100% of 10 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: 2011-09-15, 14 years ago
10 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
- SCRAPPER OPERATOR4
- COAL TRUCK DRIVER3
- BULLDOZER 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: 2010-12-14, 15 years ago
Most-sampled occupations
- SCRAPPER OPERATOR3
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR1
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 |
| 2011 |
100% |
5 |
| 2010 |
100% |
5 |
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, 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) |
| 2011 |
167 |
1,815,582 |
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Turlington Strip Mine sits in Freestone County, Texas, where the Census mining category is 5.5% 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.
Freestone County, Texas · Population 19,813
5.5%
Mining share of county employment
$58,460
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 |
| 2011 Q3 |
109,117 |
21 |
3 |
192.5 |
| 2011 Q2 |
94,815 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
| 2011 Q1 |
41,730 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
5 on file
2011 · 4 incidents
Luminant Mining Company LLC · Accident type, without injuries
Spoil side highwall sloughed off due to unstable material (sand and water). The area was accessible at the time of slide. MSHA was called and a 103(j) order was issued. Upon arrival, MSHA inspector modified the initial order and a 103(k) order was issued. Dozers were allowed to slope and stabilize the area and the 103(k) order was terminated.
September 2, 2011
TX · Coal
electrician helper
OTHER
Electrician picked a piece of dragline cable up and the wind blew sand in his eyes. The employee flushed his right eye out with a first-aid eye wash, but was still a little scratchy. Employee was taken to the Emergency Room and was diagnosed with conjuctivitis, caused by an allergic reaction from the sand. He was given two prescriptions for his eyes.
Luminant Mining Company LLC · Accident type, without injuries
A dozer operator making shift change encountered a hard spot in a high wall. The dozer became slightly offset with the highwall lost power and could not back up the slope. The dozer operator was assisted up the slope with no injuries. He was in the dozer less than 10 minutes. This 7000-1 is filed in protest arising from a citation issued for failing to report under 50.10(c).
February 18, 2011
TX · Coal
laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman
MACHINERY
Luminant Mining Company LLC · Struck against a moving object
Cat 777D end dump was being loaded by an EX1900 Hitachi. Hitachi operator was blinded by the sun momentarily and the bucket of the backhoe hit the back of the end dump jarring the end dump operators neck. He was diagnosed with muscle spasms and a muscle strain of the neck and received two days of at home rest starting 3/1/11. This met the criteria for an MSHA recordable.
2010 · 1 incident
December 1, 2010
TX · Coal
bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer
HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Luminant Mining Company LLC · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)
A Miner was removing a clevis from a section of damaged wire rope and was struck in the nose when he pulled out the clevis pin. No medical treatment was needed other that First Aid and a tetnus shot. X-ray did show a small crack.