M-Class Mining LLC · Struck against a moving object
Employee was transporting material down slope A. Slope A belt shut off on a fault. Upon investigation of cause of fault, employee was discovered at the bottom of slope A.
M-Class Mining LLC: 5 recorded fatalities operator
Controlled by
Foresight Energy Labor LLC
MSHA operator ID: 0088324
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Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2008
5,623
citations
1,187
significant & substantial
$7,369,082
proposed penalties
$4,063,332
paid to date
55% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $3,305,750 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2008
1,654
inspections on record
90,992
inspection hours
6.2
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.5,623 citations across 90,992 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.$7.4M
proposed penalties
$5.6M
current assessed
$4.1M
paid to date
$1.6M
outstanding
5,301 assessments are final orders; 239 contested dockets.
Of $4.7M in penalties contested before the Commission, $2.7M was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-07-07.
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.21.6%
significant & substantial
4.4%
high negligence or reckless
21.6%
reasonably likely or greater
17.4%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.1% none, 12.7% low, 82.7% moderate, 4.1% high, 0.3% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
Injury rate, 2025
ⓘ
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.8.20
total case rate
6.49
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.19 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
| Year | total case rate | days-away | fatal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5.35 | 2.29 | 0.000 |
| 2025 | 8.20 | 6.49 | 0.000 |
| 2024 | 5.34 | 1.57 | 0.000 |
| 2023 | 4.00 | 2.67 | 0.000 |
| 2022 | 5.13 | 3.20 | 0.000 |
| 2021 | 5.14 | 3.25 | 0.000 |
| 2020 | 5.74 | 4.96 | 0.000 |
| 2019 | 7.22 | 3.89 | 0.000 |
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: 2026-08-19
ⓘ
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.98%
within 1.5 mg/m3
12,099
samples
6.63
dust max (mg/m3)
46
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.2,462 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 9,637 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
- CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR2,910
- ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)2,237
- SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)1,460
Silica (quartz)
Last sampled: 2026-07-163.8
silica avg (%)
835
samples
22.5
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
- CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR191
- SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)185
- ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)142
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: 2026-06-16
ⓘ
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.7%
over PEL
742
samples
Most-sampled occupations
- CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR117
- SHUTTLE CAR OPERATOR (STANDARD SIDE)116
- ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (RETURN SIDE)76
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, 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.
1,309
citations taken to the federal commission · 23% of citations on record
- Settled 1,223 · 93%
- Stood as issued 6 · 0%
- Still open 80 · 6%
83%
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 830 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
40%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$4.4M proposed, $2.7M 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 2026-08-05. Vacated and withdrawn citations are removed from the file this view attributes through, so that outcome is slightly undercounted here.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAKE 2017-0322 | Settlement | Simonton | 2018 | $347K → $239K |
| LAKE 2024-0146 | Settlement | Young | 2026 | $177K → $45K |
| LAKE 2015-0334 | Settlement | McCarthy | 2016 | $165K → $99K |
| LAKE 2015-0646 | Settlement | Andrews | 2018 | $149K → $86K |
| LAKE 2015-0539 | Settlement | Rae | 2016 | $105K → $61K |
| LAKE 2020-0043 | Settlement | Simonton | 2021 | $103K → $78K |
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
Top causes
- MACHINERY 2 fatalities · 49 non-fatal
- SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON 1 fatality · 76 non-fatal
- POWERED HAULAGE 1 fatality · 35 non-fatal
- FALL OF FACE/RIB/PILLAR/SIDE/HIGHWALL 1 fatality · 12 non-fatal
- HANDLING OF MATERIALS 161 non-fatal
- FALL OF ROOF OR BACK 95 non-fatal
Incident timeline
2026
13
2025
36
2024
23
2023
19
2022
22
2021
27
2020
25
2019
54
2018
43
2017
50
2016
41
2015
34 (1f)
2014
49 (1f)
2013
39 (1f)
2012
41
2011
29
2010
13 (1f)
2009
11 (1f)
2008
1
Mines on record
- MC#1 Mine IL
Fatalities under this operator
5 recorded
May 14, 2014
IL · Coal
roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs)
Fatality · MACHINERY
M-Class Mining LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
The victim and another miner were tramming the roof bolter outby down the No.3 entry of tailgate No.1 when the accident occurred. The victim was injured when he was struck by the roof bolter as he placed himself between the coal rib and the roof bolter.
November 4, 2013
IL · Coal
section foreman, bullgang foreman, labor foreman, leadman, shift boss
Fatality · FALL OF FACE/RIB/PILLAR/SIDE/HIGHWALL
M-Class Mining LLC · Struck by falling object
Employee was shoveling coal into the Longwall pan line. A piece of coal fell from the face striking the employee. Employee was standing under shield #123 on the Longwall face at the time of the accident.
M-Class Mining LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Employee was struck when a stair stringer, secure in 4 locations, inadvertently released, striking employee in the chest area, thereby forcing him into a Genie manlift located approximately 8-10 feet from the point of contact with the stair stringer.
M-Class Mining LLC · Fall from scaffolds, walkways, platforms
A piece of grating had been moved to insert a piece of pipe. Employee stepped in hole in grating and fell 38' down the shaft. Injury was fatal.
For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants
Where M-Class Mining LLC 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.