Mining Incidents

Unocal Corp: 1 recorded fatality controller

MSHA controller ID: M00335

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Fatalities
1
Total incidents
640
Mines on record
5
Years on record
1983–2005
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
400
citations
76
significant & substantial
$38,395
proposed penalties
$38,059
paid to date
99% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $336 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
48
inspections on record
4,791
inspection hours
8.3
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.
400 citations across 4,791 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.
$38K
proposed penalties
$38K
current assessed
$38K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
397 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $944 in penalties contested before the Commission, $608 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2005-11-29.
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.
19.0%
significant & substantial
0.3%
high negligence or reckless
19.5%
reasonably likely or greater
69.9%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 10.5% low, 89.2% moderate, 0.3% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, 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.
Docket Decision Judge Year Proposed / upheld
CENT20030208M Settlement Manning 2003 $944 → $608
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

Top causes

Incident timeline

2005
7
2004
5
2003
11
2002
12
2001
16
2000
11
1999
5
1998
18
1997
8
1996
10
1995
4
1994
6
1993
4
1992
4
1991
33
1990
28
1989
29
1988
35
1987
20
1986
39
1985
147
1984
97
1983
91 (1f)

Operators under this controller

Mines on record

Fatalities under this controller

1 recorded
March 2, 1983 NM · Metal/Non-Metal ledgeman/hand, quarry man Fatality · POWERED HAULAGE
Molycorp Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

AT OR NEAR 10:20PM, ALEX GUZMAN WAS PROCEDDEING DOWN THE DECLINE IN A WAGNER MODEL NO.MT 414-30, REAR DUMP TRUCK, COMPANY #511, WITH A LOAD OF SHOTCRETE. NEAR THE 4,000 FOOT LEVEL, ALEX, FOR S OME UNKNOWN REASON, APPEARED TO STRIKE THE SOUTH RIB, VEER TOWARDS THE CONVEYOR BELT, STRIKE BELT AND STRUCTURE APPROX. 45\ AND ROLLED OVER ON ITS LEFT SIDE. ALEX WAS FOUND UNDER THE TRUCK AP

For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants

Where Unocal Corp 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.

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