82% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $1,375,365 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
3,636
inspections on record
103,033
inspection hours
11.7
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.
12,101 citations across 103,033 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.
6
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2015-02-18.
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.
$7.6M
proposed penalties
$6.2M
current assessed
$6.2M
paid to date
$13K
outstanding
12,004 assessments are final orders; 216 contested dockets.
Of $3.6M in penalties contested before the Commission, $2.2M was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2018-02-01.
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, 2015
ⓘ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.
3.28
total case rate
1.09
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US metal and nonmetal mining average was 2.26 and the all-US-mining average was 2.72 cases per 100 workers.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2015
3.28
1.09
0.000
2014
4.42
1.07
0.000
2013
4.13
0.89
0.148
2012
5.06
0.88
0.000
2011
3.48
0.74
0.074
2010
2.72
0.37
0.000
2009
2.44
0.42
0.000
2008
4.58
0.51
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: 2026-05-05
9%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
1,948
samples
1,424
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz61746 over
Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz10832 over
Diesel particulate (total carbon)14329 over
Total Carbon,TC4710 over
Area samples (mill and shop air)
Last sampled: 2014-07-15, 12 years ago
5
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.
1,144citations taken to the federal commission · 9% of citations on record
Settled
1,013 · 89%
Stood as issued
122 · 11%
Vacated or withdrawn
9 · 1%
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 561 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
38%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$3.6M proposed, $2.2M 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 2015-07-01. 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.
While retrieving samples from quarry face, employee was struck on left shoulder by a rock, resulting in fractures.
September 23, 2011NY · Metal/Non-Metalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorFatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
DRILLER WAS IN DRILL CAB PREPARING TO DRILL AN 18' DEEP ANGLE HOLE. DRILL HAD BEEN LEVELLED AND ALL JACKS HAD BEEN EXTENDED. DERRICK WAS BEING POSITIONED WHEN DRILL OVERTURNED ONTO RIGHT SIDE, TRAPPING DRILLER IN CAB.
June 6, 2000MO · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techFatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Lafarge Corp · Fall from scaffolds, walkways, platforms
EE WAS CLIMBING STAIR SCAFFOLDING TO THE 108 FT LEVEL TO FLY EQUIPMENT INTO PLACE WHEN HE FELL FROM THE STEAL STRUCTURE TO THE 45 FT LEVEL FLOOR BLEOW WAS WEARING BEAR HANESS AND DOUBLE LANYAR D WHEN FATALITY OCCURRED. MULTIPLE TIE OFF POINTS WERE PROVIDED.
January 17, 1997FL · Metal/Non-Metalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorFatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
WORKER FELL FROM AN UPPER LEVEL APPROX 30' ONTO A CONCRETE FLOOR. (NOTE: LABORER WAS SUPPLIED BY A TEMPORARY AENCY).
November 10, 1989TX · Metal/Non-Metalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorFatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Lafarge Corp · Fall to lower level, (Not Elsewhere Classified)
DECEASED EMPLOYEE AND CO-WORKER WENT UP TO 4TH LEVEL OF RAW MILL BLDG TO DO PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE CHECK ON BUCKET ELEVATOR.OTHER WORKERS AT THAT EQUIPMENT HAD REMOVED FLOOR GRATES AND HOISTED OIL DRUM FROM GROUND LEVEL UP THROUGH FLOOR AND WERE IN PROCESS OF SETTING IT DOWN TO THE SIDE BEOFRE LOWERING HOIST TO PICK UP ANOTHER DRUM.AS DECEASED EMPLOYEE APPROACHED THIS ACTIVITY HE
December 2, 1986TX · Metal/Non-MetalFatality · ELECTRICAL
TAKEN OFF DEATH CERTIFICATION EXSANGUINATION TRAUMATIC LACERATION OF HEART AND THORACIC AORTA TRANSECTION SEVERE CLOSED THORACO ABDOMINAL INJURIES CRUSH
For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants
Where Lafarge S A 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.