67% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $29,464 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
90
inspections on record
1,508
inspection hours
15.6
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.
235 citations across 1,508 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.
$89K
proposed penalties
$60K
current assessed
$60K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
227 assessments are final orders; 10 contested dockets.
Of $58K in penalties contested before the Commission, $29K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-02-24.
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, 2003
ⓘ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.
0.00
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
No reportable injury cases in any year shown. Employee-hours were reported in each of those years, so these are true zeros rather than missing data. Citations, listed in the compliance record above, are inspector-found violations and are counted separately from worker injuries.
Below average. The US metal and nonmetal mining average was 3.76 and the all-US-mining average was 4.43 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
2003 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2002 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2001 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2000 *
0.00
0.00
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: 2014-08-06, 12 years ago
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
4
samples
1
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Fibers, >5um2
Respirable dust, <.1mg2
Asbestos 2.0f/ml1
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.
31citations taken to the federal commission · 13% of citations on record
Settled
31 · 100%
94%
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 18 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
50%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$58K proposed, $29K 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 2020-06-09. 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.
Sierra Rock Products · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
THE VICTIM WAS OWNER/OPERATOR OF A TEN-WHEEL PETERBUILT GRAVEL TRUCK. HE REGULARLY HAULED FINISHED PRODUCT FROM THE STOCKPILE AT THIS PROPERTY TO CUSTOMERS LOCATED ON THE WESTERN SLOPE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS. THE MORNING OF THE ACCIDENT, THE VICTIM STOPPED HIS TRUCK ABOUT 20' FROM THE END OF THE SCALE WHERE THE LOAD WAS TO BE WEIGHED. A DOUBLE TRAILER WAS PARKED ON THE SCAL
February 23, 1991CA · Metal/Non-Metalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorFatality · IGNITION OR EXPLOSION OF GAS OR DUST
EMPL & FOREMAN HAD BEEN WELDING ADDITIONAL FITTINGS ON PRTABLE FUEL TANKS. TANKS HAD BEEN FILLED WITH WATER DURING WELDING OPERATION. AFTER FINISHING WLEDING TANKS WERE BEING DRAINED & FOREMAN WALKED INTO SHOP TO WORK ON HOSES. FOR SOME REASON UNKNOWN TO US EMPL CLIMBED IN BETWEEN FUEL TANKS & EXPLOSION OCCURED CAUSING INSTAND DEATH. CAUSE OF IGNITION IS UNKNOWN.
March 10, 1984CA · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techFatality · MACHINERY
#1 DECEASED FAILED TO FOLLOW STANDARD LOCK OUT PROCEDURE #2 WARNING HORN NOT OPERABLE #3 OPERATOR FAILED TO CLEAR ALL MACHINES BEFORE STARING PLANT. CRUSHED BETWEEN ROLLS FROM FEET TO CHEST.
For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants
Where James D Hatler 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.