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Difficult Mining Inc: 589 MSHA citations operator

Controlled by Courtland Helbig
MSHA operator ID: P23954

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
20
Mines on record
2
Years on record
1998–2002
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
589
citations
197
significant & substantial
$153,002
proposed penalties
$0
paid to date
0% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $153,002 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
76
inspections on record
2,897
inspection hours
20.3
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.
589 citations across 2,897 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Penalty disposition
ⓘ Differences between proposed and paid penalties reflect both settlements and conference reductions and amounts still owed. Outstanding is the balance currently owed.
$153K
proposed penalties
$153K
current assessed
$0
paid to date
$153K
outstanding
574 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $5K in penalties contested before the Commission, $5K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2002-11-13.
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.
34.1%
significant & substantial
14.4%
high negligence or reckless
33.9%
reasonably likely or greater
13.9%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 2.3% low, 83.3% moderate, 13.9% high, 0.5% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
Injury rate, 2001
ⓘ 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.
22.89
total case rate
15.26
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 6.94 and the all-US-mining average was 5.26 cases per 100 workers.
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
2001 * 22.89 15.26 0.000
2000 * 18.45 18.45 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.
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: 2002-08-21, 24 years ago
85%
within 1.5 mg/m3
256
samples
5.35
dust max (mg/m3)
140 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 116 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR141
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)24
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (OFF STANDARD)17

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2002-03-06, 24 years ago
6.0
silica avg (%)
30
samples
13.0
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR10
See US coal mines ranked by silica in their dust samples.

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: 2001-08-23, 25 years ago
8%
over PEL
36
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)9
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR7
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (INTAKE SIDE)5
See US mines ranked by noise samples over the legal limit.
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
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 operator contested before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, with the outcome on record.
Docket Decision Judge Year Proposed / upheld
WEVA20010113 Default Barbour 2002 $5K → $5K
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

Top causes

Incident timeline

2002
1
2001
5
2000
12
1998
2

Mines on record

For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants

Where Difficult Mining Inc stands on silica, penalties, and injury rate

MSHA's standard limits respirable silica to 50 micrograms per cubic metre, but MSHA publishes dust and quartz as separate files and never the silica figure itself. We derive it per sample, score it against the limit, and set the operator's injury rate against a benchmark built from the full MSHA operator record. With the 26-year penalty trail, contest posture, and fatality history. Delivered as a PDF with the underlying data as CSV.

The federal record itself stays free on this site. What costs money, and why.

See a sample report
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