30 U.S.C. § 820
Whenever a corporate operator violates a mandatory health or safety standard or knowingly violates or fails or refuses to comply with any order issued under this chapter or any order incorporated in a final decision issued under this chapter, except an order incorporated in a decision issued under subsection (a) or section 815(c) of this title, any director, officer, or agent of such corporation who knowingly authorized, ordered, or carried out such violation, failure, or refusal shall be subject to the same civil penalties, fines, and imprisonment that may be imposed upon a person under subsections (a) and (d).
Any operator who willfully violates a mandatory health or safety standard, or knowingly violates or fails or refuses to comply with any order issued under section 814 of this title and section 817 of this title, or any order incorporated in a final decision issued under this subchapter, except an order incorporated in a decision under subsection (a)(1) or section 815(c) of this title, shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than $250,000, or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both, except that if the conviction is for a violation committed after the first conviction of such operator under this chapter, punishment shall be by a fine of not more than $500,000, or by imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.
Unless otherwise authorized by this chapter, any person who gives advance notice of any inspection to be conducted under this chapter shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than $1,000 or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.
Whoever knowingly makes any false statement, representation, or certification in any application, record, report, plan, or other document filed or required to be maintained pursuant to this chapter shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000, or by imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.
Any miner who willfully violates the mandatory safety standards relating to smoking or the carrying of smoking materials, matches, or lighters shall be subject to a civil penalty assessed by the Commission, which penalty shall not be more than $250 for each occurrence of such violation.
Whoever knowingly distributes, sells, offers for sale, introduces, or delivers in commerce any equipment for use in a coal or other mine, including, but not limited to, components and accessories of such equipment, which is represented as complying with the provisions of this chapter, or with any specification or regulation of the Secretary applicable to such equipment, and which does not so comply, shall, upon conviction, be subject to the same fine and imprisonment that may be imposed upon a person under subsection (f) of this section.
The Commission shall have authority to assess all civil penalties provided in this chapter. In assessing civil monetary penalties, the Commission shall consider the operator's history of previous violations, the appropriateness of such penalty to the size of the business of the operator charged, whether the operator was negligent, the effect on the operator's ability to continue in business, the gravity of the violation, and the demonstrated good faith of the person charged in attempting to achieve rapid compliance after notification of a violation. In proposing civil penalties under this chapter, the Secretary may rely upon a summary review of the information available to him and shall not be required to make findings of fact concerning the above factors.
Civil penalties owed under this chapter shall be paid to the Secretary for deposit into the Treasury of the United States and shall accrue to the United States and may be recovered in a civil action in the name of the United States brought in the United States district court for the district where the violation occurred or where the operator has its principal office. Interest at the rate of 8 percent per annum shall be charged against a person on any final order of the Commission, or the court. Interest shall begin to accrue 30 days after the issuance of such order.
No proposed penalty which has been contested before the Commission under section 815(a) of this title shall be compromised, mitigated, or settled except with the approval of the Commission. No penalty assessment which has become a final order of the Commission shall be compromised, mitigated, or settled except with the approval of the court.
The provisions of this section shall not be applicable with respect to subchapter IV of this chapter.
1 So in original.
30 U.S.C. § 820
EDITORIAL NOTES
REFERENCES IN TEXTThis chapter, referred to in subsecs. (a)(1), (c) to (f), and (h) to (j), was in the original "this Act", meaning Pub. L. 91-173, Dec. 30, 1969, 83 Stat. 742, known as the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 801 of this title and Tables.
AMENDMENTS2006-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 109-280, §1301(2), substituted "(1) The operator" for "(1)(1) The operator" in par. (1), substituted "subsection (a)(1)" for "paragraph (1)" in par. (2), relating to criminal penalties, and redesignated that par. as subsec. (d). Pub. L. 109-236, §8(a)(1), inserted "(1)" after subsec. heading, added par. (2), relating to criminal penalties, and added pars. (3) and (4). Pub. L. 109-236, §5(b), designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2), relating to civil penalties.Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 109-280, §1301(3), inserted par. (1) and (2) designations. Pub. L. 109-236, §8(a)(2), inserted at end "Violations under this section that are deemed to be flagrant may be assessed a civil penalty of not more than $220,000. For purposes of the preceding sentence, the term 'flagrant' with respect to a violation means a reckless or repeated failure to make reasonable efforts to eliminate a known violation of a mandatory health or safety standard that substantially and proximately caused, or reasonably could have been expected to cause, death or serious bodily injury."Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 109-280, §1301(2)(B)(ii), redesignated subsec. (a)(2), relating to criminal penalties, as (d). Pub. L. 109-280, §1301(1), struck out subsec. (d) which read as follows: "Any operator who willfully violates a mandatory health or safety standard, or knowingly violates or fails or refuses to comply with any order issued under section 814 of this title and section 817 of this title, or any order incorporated in a final decision issued under this subchapter, except an order incorporated in a decision under subsection (a) of this section or section 815(c) of this title, shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than $25,000, or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both, except that if the conviction is for a violation committed after the first conviction of such operator under this chapter, punishment shall be by a fine of not more than $50,000, or by imprisonment for not more than five years, or both."1990-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 101-508, §3102(1), substituted "$50,000" for "$10,000".Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 101-508, §3102(2), substituted "$5,000" for "1,000".1977- Pub. L. 95-164 substituted provisions setting the civil and criminal penalties with regard to violations of this chapter for provisions relating to claims of idled miners, which provisions, as revised, were transferred to section 821 of this title.
STATUTORY NOTES AND RELATED SUBSIDIARIES
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1977 AMENDMENTAmendment by Pub. L. 95-164 effective 120 days after Nov. 9, 1977, except as otherwise provided, see section 307 of Pub. L. 95-164 set out as a note under section 801 of this title.
EFFECTIVE DATESection operative 90 days after Dec. 30, 1969, except to the extent an earlier date is specifically provided for in Pub. L. 91-173 see section 509 of Pub. L. 91-173 set out as a note under section 801 of this title.
REGULATIONS Pub. L. 109-236, §8(b), June 15, 2006, 120 Stat. 501, provided that: "Not later than December 30, 2006, the Secretary of Labor shall promulgate final regulations with respect to penalties."