Mining Incidents

Waroquier Tipple: 101 MSHA citations Coal

Controlled by Joseph L Waroquier
Clearfield, Clearfield County, PA  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 3608608

Waroquier Tipple has $17K in proposed MSHA penalties and $498 outstanding across 3 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
2011
Latest incident
Jan 2011
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
101
citations
59
significant & substantial
$16,713
proposed penalties
$15,888
paid to date
95% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $825 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
70
inspections on record
1,155
inspection hours
8.7
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.
101 citations across 1,155 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Waroquier Tipple has $17K in proposed MSHA penalties and $498 outstanding across 3 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.
$17K
proposed penalties
$16K
current assessed
$16K
paid to date
$498
outstanding
100 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $3K in penalties contested before the Commission, $2K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2019-03-21.
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.
59.0%
significant & substantial
5.0%
high negligence or reckless
59.0%
reasonably likely or greater
23.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 13.0% low, 82.0% moderate, 5.0% 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.
7 citations taken to the federal commission · 7% of citations on record
  • Settled 6 · 86%
  • Vacated or withdrawn 1 · 14%
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 6 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
16%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$3K proposed, $2K 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 2009-09-28.
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
PENN 2008-497 Settlement Lesnick 2010 $1K → $908
PENN 2009-822 Settlement Harner 2011 $810 → $568
PENN 2008-496 Settlement Bulluck 2011 $687 → $687
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Waroquier Tipple shows 96% of 131 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: 2018-03-31, 8 years ago
96%
within 1.5 mg/m3
131
samples
3.10
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.
67 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 64 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • TIPPLE OPERATOR68
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER54
  • CLERK/TIMEKEEPER3

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2003-02-18, 23 years ago
13.9
silica avg (%)
2
samples
13.9
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • TIPPLE OPERATOR2

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: 2016-02-25, 10 years ago
10%
over PEL
30
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER16
  • TIPPLE OPERATOR6
  • WEIGHMAN3
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
2018 100% 1
2017 100% 4
2016 100% 5
2015 100% 6
2014 100% 6
2013 100% 5
2012 100% 4
2011 100% 6
2010 100% 7
2009 100% 6
2008 100% 4
2007 100% 2
2006 100% 3
2005 100% 9
2004 89% 27
2003 90% 20
2002 100% 9
2001 100% 5
2000 100% 2
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2016 0% 1
2015 0% 1
2014 0% 1
2012 0% 1
2011 0% 4
2010 0% 4
2009 0% 2
2008 50% 4
2005 0% 3
2004 0% 3
2003 33% 3
2002 0% 3
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Waroquier Tipple recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2007.

Injury rate, 2007
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 4.71 and the all-US-mining average was 3.77 cases per 100 workers.
In Pennsylvania, coal mining averaged 5.89 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.
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.
Ownership history
  1. Waroquier Coal Company 1997 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2020 1
2019 1
2018 1
2017 3
2016 3
2015 1
2014 2
2013 2
2012 4
2011 7
2010 6
2009 7
2008 8
2007 10
2006 6
2005 6
2004 6
2003 5
2002 5
2001 6
2000 5
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Waroquier Tipple sits in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, where the Census mining category is 1.3% 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.
Clearfield County, Pennsylvania · Population 78,902
1.3%
Mining share of county employment
$60,181
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
2020 Q3 20 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 291 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 0 0 0
2019 Q4 110 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 330 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 330 0 0 0.0
2019 Q1 330 2 0 6060.6
2018 Q4 220 0 0 0.0
Show 75 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2018 Q3 550 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 669 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 762 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 1,363 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 1,697 2 1 1178.6
2017 Q2 1,386 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 1,722 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 1,423 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 1,659 2 1 1205.5
2016 Q2 1,813 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 1,568 2 1 1275.5
2015 Q4 840 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 720 1 0 1388.9
2015 Q2 840 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 720 6 3 8333.3
2014 Q4 848 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 829 3 3 3618.8
2014 Q2 919 2 1 2176.3
2014 Q1 1,185 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 1,333 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 1,137 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 1,358 1 0 736.4
2013 Q1 1,110 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 1,354 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 1,637 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 2,012 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 1,876 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 2,746 1 0 364.2
2011 Q3 5,035 1 1 198.6
2011 Q2 3,994 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 3,090 9 7 2912.6
2010 Q4 3,839 0 0 0.0
2010 Q3 3,740 1 1 267.4
2010 Q2 3,504 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 2,624 4 2 1524.4
2009 Q4 3,099 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 3,163 2 2 632.3
2009 Q2 2,789 0 0 0.0
2009 Q1 4,446 2 2 449.8
2008 Q4 4,764 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 5,923 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 4,005 13 4 3245.9
2008 Q1 4,737 1 0 211.1
2007 Q4 5,630 6 3 1065.7
2007 Q3 6,764 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 5,202 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 5,906 9 9 1523.9
2006 Q4 3,052 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 3,104 2 1 644.3
2006 Q2 2,565 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 3,227 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 2,640 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 3,370 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 3,776 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 3,006 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 2,855 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 4,039 3 1 742.8
2004 Q2 3,569 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 3,023 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 3,230 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 2,799 1 1 357.3
2003 Q2 3,171 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 2,711 4 4 1475.5
2002 Q4 2,582 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 2,670 1 0 374.5
2002 Q2 2,863 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 3,480 6 2 1724.1
2001 Q4 3,134 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 3,163 3 0 948.5
2001 Q2 4,027 0 0 0.0
2001 Q1 4,099 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 2,510 0 0 0.0
2000 Q3 2,912 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 3,115 1 0 321.0
2000 Q1 4,433 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2011 · 1 incident

January 3, 2011 PA · Coal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Waroquier Coal Company · Fall onto or against objects

Employee was working on the breaker when his foot got caught in a cable which made him slip and fall against a handrail along the catwalk. He landed on his right shoulder which jammed it. He worked the rest of the shift and then went to the E.R. the next day at 5:30 A.M.