76% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $2,298,086 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Labor enforcement (WHD)
US Labor Department wage findings since 2011
1
labor cases
Source: US DOL Wage and Hour Division enforcement records, matched by employer name and state.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
18,265
inspections on record
318,192
inspection hours
7.5
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.
23,802 citations across 318,192 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.
39
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2026-06-17.
On record since 2010.
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.
$9.8M
proposed penalties
$8.4M
current assessed
$7.5M
paid to date
$948K
outstanding
22,869 assessments are final orders; 758 contested dockets.
Of $3.0M in penalties contested before the Commission, $1.7M was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-07-09.
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.
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.
2.44
total case rate
0.64
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US metal and nonmetal mining average was 1.65 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2026
3.22
0.84
0.035
2025
2.44
0.64
0.000
2024
2.63
0.61
0.000
2023
2.00
0.22
0.017
2022
1.90
0.31
0.000
2021
1.82
0.24
0.000
2020
1.86
0.18
0.018
2019
1.95
0.28
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: 2025-07-23
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
175
samples
0.52
dust max (mg/m3)
0
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.
175 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER52
LABORER/BLACKSMITH51
WATER TRUCK OPERATOR16
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.
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: 2026-08-14
9%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
8,999
samples
4,327
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz2,974295 over
Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz28051 over
Diesel particulate (total carbon)20323 over
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz6294 over
Area samples (mill and shop air)
Last sampled: 2026-05-01
112
samples
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.
2,015citations taken to the federal commission · 8% of citations on record
Settled
1,665 · 83%
Stood as issued
97 · 5%
Vacated or withdrawn
16 · 1%
Still open
237 · 12%
56%
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 801 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
42%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$2.9M proposed, $1.7M 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 controller contested before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, with the outcome on record.
Third party delivery driver of raw materials was found deceased trapped between the frame and dump bed of EE's I-Bar owned and operated delivery truck. The driver was located on the West edge of the iron ore stockpile.
August 22, 2024OK · Metal/Non-Metalutility man, shift tech, service/dump truck operatorFatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Employee fell through opening/hole in platform that had been removed, fell about 20 feet and received head trauma. Update: The employee passed away on 9/6/24.
December 14, 2023UT · Metal/Non-Metalminer, prospector, necFatality · MACHINERY
EE STARTED THE DAY AND HAD WORKED AT THE SHOP LOCATED IN LEHI, UTAH FOR THE MAJORITY OF EE'S WHOLE SHIFT. THERE WERE MATERIALS THAT NEEDED TO BE TAKEN TO OUR CREW TO CONTINUE WORKING. EE DROVE TO THE WORKSITE. WHILE EE WAS THERE, EE WAS WALKING AND WHILE WALKING EE WAS STRUCK BY THE FORKS OF A PEICE OF EQUIPMENT THAT FELL OVER, WHICH RESULTED IN EE'S LIFE ENDING.
OUR EMPLOYEE WORKING AT MOUNTAIN AGGREGATES QUARRY MINE SITE WAS FATALLY INJURED WHILE OPERATING A DOZER ON AN ACCESS RD IN WHICH THE EQUIPMENT LEFT THE ACCESS RD AND ROLLED DOWN AN EMBANKMENT.
February 27, 2020MI · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerFatality · HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Four employees were installing a steel plate. The plate was 20' wide x 8' high x 1" thick. A small loader put the forks against the plate 5 feet up. The operator re-position the forks 3 feet lower so employee 1 could stand on forks and get a better reach. The plate became unstable and fell on top of employee 1, pinning the employee.
January 25, 2018IA · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerFatality · POWERED HAULAGE
EE was fatally injured when the articulated haul truck EE was operating traveled off of a haul road into a lake at the Hallett Materials sand and gravel pit. The crew was stockpiling production material during the night shift when they noticed EE was missing. Crew members began searching for the missing EE and found EE's haul truck submerged in water.
Employee was driving a 70 ton CAT 775E haul truck equipped with reverse sonar. Evidence shows the employee backed through a berm approx. 4 ft high and down a slope that was 70 ft. high. The truck came to rest in an area of water spprox. 15 ft. deep. Employee was pronounced deceased on scene by medical emergency personnel.
April 24, 2014LA · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerFatality · MACHINERY
Employee had worked an entire day operating a John Deere 750C Dozer along side another experienced dozer operator. At approximately 5:25pm the employee was last seen crossing over a dirt pile. A few minutes later that same employee saw the 750C dozer blade first in a ditch with the tracks still running and employee lying face up behind the machine.
Pennsy Supply Inc · Caught in, under or between collapsing material or buildings
The employee was attempting to add a piece of angle iron to the discharge gate to the surge pile feeder. After welding, the gate did not fit properly. He crawled to the gate to investigate. He asked a co-worker for a tape measure. While waiting for the tape measure the material started collapsing around him. As a result the employee was engulfed in the material.
EMPLOYEE HAD BACKED HIS VEHICLE UP TO THE BERM TO DUMP BUT DID NOT. AT SOME POINT SHORTLY AFTER AND FOR REASONS UNKNOWN THE EMPLOYEE EXITED HIS VEHICLE. HIS BODY WAS FOUND BY A CO-WORKER, HAVI NG BEEN RUN OVER BY THE TWO DRIVERS SIDE REAR TIRES.
July 22, 1999MI · Metal/Non-Metalcrane operator, mobile equipment operator (meo), dragline operator, dropball operator, riggerFatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
EMPLOYEE WAS WORKING ON COARSE AGGREGATE WASH PLANT. BLADE MILL CRUSHED EMPLOYEE. REPORT WAS DELAYED DUE TO TRANSFERRING OF REPORTING RESPONSIBLITY AND INTERNAL MISCOMMUNCIATON. VERBAL REPO RTING WAS COMPLETED IMMEDIATELY (1-8-97).
THERE WERE NO WITNESSES. EMPLOYEE WAS OPERATING A 980 B FRONEND LOADER AND APPARENTLY FLIPPED INTO THE MUCK POND ON ITS TOP BURYING THE MACHINE AND OPERATOR UNDER THE WATER UP TO MIDWAY OF WH EELS UNDETERMINED WHETHER THE LOST CONTROL OR SIMPLY BACKED IN.
For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants
Where CRH PLC 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.