98% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $242 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
31
inspections on record
3,458
inspection hours
3.0
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.
105 citations across 3,458 inspection hours.
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.
$16K
proposed penalties
$16K
current assessed
$16K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
102 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $55 in penalties contested before the Commission, $0 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2001-11-27.
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, 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.
8.02
total case rate
1.30
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US metal and nonmetal mining average was 4.48 and the all-US-mining average was 5.26 cases per 100 workers.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2001
8.02
1.30
0.000
2000
7.74
1.26
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.
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: 2001-06-20, 25 years ago
11%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
66
samples
56
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz225 over
Silver fumes41 over
Respirable dust, <.1mg10
Aluminum oxide dust2
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.
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.
SUDDEN MASSIVE UNPREDICTABLE FAILURE OF EAST HIGHWALL RESULTED IN THE ACCIDENT. THE FALLING SLIDING ROCK CRUSHED THE 5130 SHOVEL KILLING THE OPERATOR. IT ALSO SERIOUSLY IMPACTED THE 85 TON TRU CK BEING LOADED WITH RESULTING HEAD AND LEG WOUNDS TO THE DRIVER.
November 11, 1994SD · Metal/Non-Metalledgeman/hand, quarry manFatality · FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED BY THE INVESTIGATING TEAM THAT THE JUMBO DRILL THAT WAS BEING USED WAS DRIVEN UP THE 10' X 10' INCLINE AND STOPPED AT 18 FT. FROM THE FACE WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING. APPAR ENTLY THE JUMBO STARTED BACK DOWN THE INCLINE TRAVELING ABOUT 33 FEET BEFORE STRIKING THE LEFT RIB OF THE INCLINE. THE IMPACT OF THE STRIKING OF THE LEFT RIB CAUSED THE JUMBO TO SWING AROUND
EMPL WAS WORKING A DIAMOND DRILL OPERATORAT 4100 LEVEL 69 STOPE 17L & WAS LAST HEARD FROM WHEN HE ALLED TELE OPER AROUND 11:00AM EMPL WAS FOUND IN 46 BOREHOLE 4100-4400 APPROX 4:40 PM.
VICTIM AND PARTNER WERE TRAVELING DOWN ROSS SHAFT BELOW THE 5000 LEVEL TO CHECK WATER LEVEL IN SUMP WHEN CAGE SUDDENLY STRUCK WATER IN THE SHAFT. CAGE WAS QUICKLY FILLED WITH WATER AND VICTI M WAS WASHED OUT OF THE CAGE AS IT WAS LIFTED BACK OUT OF T HE WATER.
October 6, 1988SD · Metal/Non-Metalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorFatality · POWERED HAULAGE
I NAME WAS STAN8ING DIRECTLY BELOW THE MOBILE CRANE BOOM GIVING THE CRANE OPERATOR SIGNAL DIRECTIONS WHEN THE HEADACH BALL FELL FREE FROM THE BOOM STRIKING I NAME ON THE HEAD
I.NAME WAS OPER5TING A MOTOR WITH A STRING OF NINE CARS AND WAS TRAVELING THROUGH THE DUMP WHEN THE TRAIN CAME TO A SUDDEN STOP WITH THE SECOND CAR ON THE CAMEL-BACK. HE APPARENTLY GOT OFF TH E MOTOR TO DETE9MINE THE CAUSE OF THE STOP. HE APPARANTLY APPOACHED THE OPEN DUMP AND REACHED UP FOR THE WAND SWITCH TO TURN OFF THE WATER SPRAYS AND FELL INTO THE OPEN
September 1, 1984SD · Metal/Non-Metalcage/cager/station attendantFatality · HOISTING
I.NAME HOISTING RAIL TRUCK LOADED WITH USED DRILL STEEL,PIPE OTHER MISC.SEVERAL LONGER PIECES OF STEEL WERE ALSO PLACED UNSECURED AT AN ANGLE IN THE CAGE.APPARENTLY ONE OF THESE LONG PIECES SL IPPED AND BECAME CAUGHT IN SIDE OF SHAFT AS CAGE WAS MOVING UPWARD.THE MOVEMENT CAUSED STEEL AND CAGE GATE TO BECOME ENTANGLED AND TORN AWAY.I.ANME FATALLY INJURED WHEN HE FELL OR WAS THROWN
July 24, 1984SD · Metal/Non-Metalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorFatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
I.NAME FELL FROM ROSS CRUSHER ROOM CRANE TROLLEY WHILE IN PROCESS OF HELPING REAVE AND HANG NEW TRAVELER BLOCK FOR TIGER OVERHEAD CRANE.
For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants
Where Homestake Mining 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.