Mining Incidents

Northwestern Resources Company: 1 recorded fatality operator

Controlled by Montana Power Company
MSHA operator ID: P09430

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Fatalities
1
Total incidents
350
Mines on record
1
Years on record
1984–2001
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
11
citations
1
significant & substantial
$691
proposed penalties
$691
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
13
inspections on record
330
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: 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.
Penalty disposition
Differences between proposed and paid penalties reflect both settlements and conference reductions and amounts still owed. Outstanding is the balance currently owed.
$691
proposed penalties
$691
current assessed
$691
paid to date
$0
outstanding
10 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $403 in penalties contested before the Commission, $0 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2001-01-09.
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.
10.0%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
20.0%
reasonably likely or greater
10.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 10.0% none, 30.0% low, 60.0% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% 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.
2.03
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US coal mining average was 6.94 and the all-US-mining average was 5.26 cases per 100 workers.
Year total case rate days-away fatal
2001 2.03 0.00 0.000
2000 2.73 0.75 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: 2001-02-01, 25 years ago
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
18
samples
0.86
dust max (mg/m3)
18 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR4
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR3
  • ROAD GRADER OPERATOR3

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: 2000-02-02, 26 years ago
33%
over PEL
24
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR7
  • COAL TRUCK DRIVER4
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER2
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
CENT20000457 Withdrawal 2001 $207 → $0
CENT20000315 Withdrawal 2001 $196 → $0
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

Top causes

Incident timeline

2001
3
2000
14
1999
15
1998
17
1997
24
1996
19
1995
15
1994
18
1993
18
1992
22
1991
24
1990
17
1989
42
1988
19
1987
27
1986
20
1985
31 (1f)
1984
5

Mines on record

Fatalities under this operator

1 recorded
May 13, 1985 TX · Coal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer Fatality · ELECTRICAL
Northwestern Resources Company · Contact with electrical current

WHILE EATING LUNCH UNDER A TREE WITH FOUR OTHER MEN THE TREE WAS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING FATALLY INJURING I.NAME

For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants

Where Northwestern Resources Company 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.

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