77% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $887,372 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
246
inspections on record
14,465
inspection hours
17.3
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.
2,501 citations across 14,465 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Imminent-danger orders
ⓘA Section 107(a) order removes miners from an area when an inspector finds an imminent danger. Each order is lifted once the condition is corrected, so this counts orders issued, not orders now in effect.
1
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2013-11-26.
On record since 2013.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, 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.
$3.8M
proposed penalties
$2.9M
current assessed
$2.9M
paid to date
$724
outstanding
2,469 assessments are final orders; 74 contested dockets.
Of $2.5M in penalties contested before the Commission, $1.6M was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2019-04-30.
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.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
Injury rate, 2019
ⓘ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.
5.21
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US metal and nonmetal mining average was 1.94 and the all-US-mining average was 2.32 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
2019 *
5.21
0.00
0.000
2018
5.17
0.00
0.000
2017
4.73
1.58
0.000
2016
6.90
1.20
0.000
2015
8.09
1.14
0.000
2014
7.49
0.99
0.000
2013
7.78
0.96
0.000
2012
4.71
0.28
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.
Metal and nonmetal contaminants (personal samples)
ⓘMany samples are screening measurements of substances with no applicable exposure limit; they are counted as samples but excluded from every over-limit figure. Over-limit shares use only limit-tested samples.
Last sampled: 2013-04-16, 13 years ago
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
15
samples
10
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz5
Respirable dust, <.1mg5
Sodium hydroxide2
Arsenic fumes1
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly. Metal/nonmetal contaminant figures come from MSHA's Personal Health Samples and Area Samples files (public record), 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.
323citations taken to the federal commission · 13% of citations on record
Settled
307 · 95%
Stood as issued
10 · 3%
Vacated or withdrawn
5 · 2%
Still open
1 · 0%
61%
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 189 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
36%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$2.5M proposed, $1.6M 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 2017-03-29. 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 controller contested before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, with the outcome on record.
A crew of 5 workers were installing an 8'x10' process door when the lifting lug on the door became detached. This resulted in the door free falling approximately 22" to the ground and ultimately falling over onto one of the crew members.
January 2, 2007TX · Metal/Non-Metalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorFatality · OTHER
A Chemicals I&E Technician was sprayed in the face with a liquid assumed to contain condensated hydrogen fluoride. The miner was in the process of performing routine preventative maintenance on an instrument tap. The system that the miner was working on is expected to be under a vacuum under normal conditions. The injuries suffered by the EE resulted in his death.
EMPLOYEE CLIMBED ONTO A PLATFORM OF A HIGH VOLTAGE TOWER TO DETERMINE WHAT WOULD BE NEEDED TO REVISE A WIRING CIRCUIT THAT WAS ATTACHED TO THE TOWER. AS THE EMPLOYEE WAS TRACING THE WIRE HE CO NTACTED A 7200 VOLT BARE CONDUCTOR.
May 1, 1987TX · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techFatality · POWERED HAULAGE
..EMPL NEGOTIAT3NG RIGHT HAND TURN OFF BONHAM RD BETWEEN UNITS R-31 & R-32 WHEN RIGHT FRONT TIRE OF FORKLIFT HE WAS DRIVING STRUCK AND RODE UP CONCRETE BASE/POLE OF PIPE RACK SUPPORT.FORKLIFT ROLLED OVER TO3LEFT-EAST-& PINNED EMPL BETWEEN CONCRETE ROADWAY & CANOPY OF FORKLIFT.EST WEIGHT OF FORKLIFT-12,000 LBS.EST RATED LOAD CAPACITY 6,000-7,000 LBS.NO EYEWITNESSES BUT CO-WORKER HE
December 8, 1983TX · Metal/Non-Metalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorFatality · NONPOWERED HAULAGE
#2 DIGESTER UNIT WAS BEING PREPARED FOR A VALVE CHANGE. THIS REQUIRES THAT THE HEATERS AND HOLIZONTAL DIGESTERS IN BLDG. 30 BE SHUT DOWN AND DRAINED. AS THE UNITS DRAIN, THE TRENCH IN BLDG 60 XX 30 OVERFLOWS UNTIL THE SUMP PUMP CAN APPROPRAIATELY TRANSFER THE LIQUOR. THE INJURED EMP WAS COLLECTING SHIFT REPORTS FROM THE VARIOUS CONTROL ROOMS ON A TWO-WHEELED BICYCLE FROM OFFICE TO
For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants
Where Alcoa 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.