Thunder Basin Coal Company LLC safety activity
MSHA violations, accident reports and inspections across the current mine portfolio.
Safety activity
Compliance Follow-up Inspection
Black Thunder · 480097713.0 on-site hours reported
Respirable dust standard.
Coal Creek Mine · 480121530 CFR 71.100(b) · Significant and substantial (S&S) · $1,679.00 proposed penalty
Fire
Black Thunder · 4800977Accident only
Accident narrative
A grass fire started at the rail road tracks and spread to the mine property. The fire could not be put out within 30 minutes
Compliance Follow-up Inspection
Coal Creek Mine · 480121514.5 on-site hours reported
Slip or fall of person
Black Thunder · 4800977No dys awy frm wrk,no rstr act
Accident narrative
Employee slipped and fell while getting on EE's equipment.
Loading and haulage equipment; operation.
Black Thunder · 480097730 CFR 77.1607(c) · Significant and substantial (S&S) · $1,818.00 proposed penalty
Spot Inspection
Black Thunder · 48009777.0 on-site hours reported
Slip or fall of person
Black Thunder · 4800977Days away from work only
Accident narrative
The employee was dismounting the drill from the offside ladder. When on the last rung of the ladder, EE's foot slipped off and when EE landed on the uneven ground EE felt a pop in EE's ankle.
Fire
Black Thunder · 4800977Accident only
Accident narrative
A coal fire was located in the 5 west pit that could not be extinguished within 30 minutes
Slip or fall of person
Black Thunder · 4800977Dys awy frm wrk & restrctd act
Accident narrative
Employee tripped in the revolving frame of a dragline catching their fall with their right arm. Employee was diagnosed with a torn bicep tendon on 1/16/2026 and had a procedure on 1/22/2026 to repair the bicep tendon
Handling of materials
Black Thunder · 4800977No dys awy frm wrk,no rstr act
Accident narrative
while moving a part in the warehouse the employee lost their grip causing the part to move suddenly pinching finger and causing a laceration that required 6 stitches.
Handtools (nonpowered)
Black Thunder · 4800977No dys awy frm wrk,no rstr act
Accident narrative
Employee was trimming a piece of plastic when knife slipped resulting in a laceration to left index finger requiring five stitches.
Machinery and equipment; operation and maintenance.
Coal Creek Mine · 480121530 CFR 77.404(a) · $151.00 proposed penalty
Electric equipment; examination, testing, and maintenance.
Coal Creek Mine · 480121530 CFR 77.502 · $151.00 proposed penalty
Loading and haulage equipment; operation.
Coal Creek Mine · 480121530 CFR 77.1607(bb) · $151.00 proposed penalty
Requirement for container labels.
Coal Creek Mine · 480121530 CFR 47.41(a)(1) · $151.00 proposed penalty
Slip or fall of person
Black Thunder · 4800977Dys awy frm wrk & restrctd act
Accident narrative
Dark out with dry/calm weather conditions. Uneven walking surface with loose ballast and exposed rail ties.
Fire
Black Thunder · 4800977Accident only
Accident narrative
A coal fire was discovered in the 6 west spoils that could not be extinguished within 30 minutes
Electric equipment; examination, testing, and maintenance.
Black Thunder · 480097730 CFR 77.502 · Significant and substantial (S&S) · $366.00 proposed penalty
Accumulations of combustible materials.
Black Thunder · 480097730 CFR 77.1104 · $313.00 proposed penalty
Electric equipment; examination, testing, and maintenance.
Black Thunder · 480097730 CFR 77.502 · $288.00 proposed penalty
Inspection and cover plates.
Black Thunder · 480097730 CFR 77.512 · $193.00 proposed penalty
Examination and maintenance of firefighting equipment.
Black Thunder · 480097730 CFR 77.1110 · $151.00 proposed penalty
Electric equipment; examination, testing, and maintenance.
Coal Creek Mine · 480121530 CFR 77.502 · $177.00 proposed penalty
Fire
Black Thunder · 4800977Accident only
Accident narrative
A coal fire was discovered in the 5 west pit that could not be extinguished within 30 minutes
Sources and definitions
MSHA Violations (issue date), Accidents (accident date) and Inspections (begin date).
Violation titles use current CFR headings to identify the cited rule; they are not the inspector’s account of what happened.
Status is from the current MSHA Mines snapshot, not the selected reporting period. Closed records can retain their last reported controller/operator.
Counts describe published rows, including contractor records; accident records are not distinct incidents or numbers of people injured.
Zero means no matching records in the imported sources, not proof of no events. Historical coverage differs by source; absence before a source begins reporting is not a zero incident rate. Invalid or absent dates and records after the snapshot are excluded.
S&S means SIG_SUB=Y. Fatality records use DEGREE_INJURY_CD=01. Proposed penalties are not final assessed or paid amounts; missing dollar values are omitted.
Inspection hours are SUM_TOTAL_ON_SITE_HOURS attributed to the inspection start date, without supervisor/trainee hours. Missing hours are omitted; a started inspection may still be open.
Portfolio totals use current mine membership, including events before the current owner or operator's tenure.