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.
Rate withheld: 454 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
00972 has $6K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 3 contested dockets.
Penalty disposition
ⓘDifferences between proposed and paid penalties reflect both settlements and conference reductions and amounts still owed. Outstanding is the balance currently owed.
$6K
proposed penalties
$5K
current assessed
$5K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
51 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $1K in penalties contested before the Commission, $400 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-08-26.
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.
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.
5citations taken to the federal commission · 10% of citations on record
Settled
4 · 80%
Stood as issued
1 · 20%
0%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 1 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
67%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$1K proposed, $400 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 A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record.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 2012-06-25.
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 mine contested before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, with the outcome on record.
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: 2021-10-21, 4 years ago
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
17
samples
12
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz11
Respirable dust, <.1mg3
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz1
Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (17)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2021-10-21
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Utility Man
2021-10-21
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.42
0.54
0.78
Cleanup Man
2018-10-31
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.17
Bobcat Operator
2018-10-31
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2018-10-31
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2018-10-31
Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz
2.47
10
0.25
Crusher Oper/Worker
2012-10-16
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.43
0.62
0.69
Front-end Loader Operator
2012-10-16
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.35
0.79
0.44
Supervisor, Co. Official
2012-10-16
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.43
0.65
0.66
Crusher Oper/Worker
2011-07-06
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
1
1.8
0.56
Crusher Oper/Worker
2011-07-06
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
1.82
2.22
0.82
Utility Man
2003-10-29
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.88
1.14
0.77
Crusher Oper/Worker
2003-10-29
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.15
Front-end Loader Operator
2003-10-29
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.35
2.24
0.16
Truck Driver
2001-04-17
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.45
2
0.23
Bulldozer Operator
2001-04-17
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.31
1.58
0.20
Crusher Oper/Worker
2001-04-17
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.25
10
0.03
Front-end Loader Operator
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.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year
Employees
2025
6
2024
8
2023
6
2022
4
2021
5
2020
5
2019
5
2018
7
2017
7
2016
7
2015
7
2013
4
2012
6
2011
6
2010
5
2008
5
2007
5
2006
3
2005
5
2004
3
2003
3
2002
3
2001
3
2000
5
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
00972 sits in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, where the Census mining category is 0.1% of county employment.
Local economic context
ⓘCounty figures come from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 5-year pooled estimates, so the 2023 vintage covers 2019 through 2023. The Census category is 'mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction', which is broader than MSHA jurisdiction and includes oil and gas workers no mine employs. These figures describe the surrounding county, not this mine, and are not a factor in any specific incident.
Blue Earth County, Minnesota · Population 69,386
0.1%
Mining share of county employment
$72,623
Median household income
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates.
Quarterly safety rates
ⓘCitations per million reported employee-hours. Rates begin in 2000, when MSHA's quarterly employment data starts; earlier incidents are counted but cannot be rate-adjusted. Quarters under 100,000 reported hours are greyed: too few hours for a stable rate.
Citations per million employee-hours, as reported to MSHA
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2025 Q3
5,656
1
0
176.8
2025 Q2
4,592
0
0
0.0
2025 Q1
1,537
0
0
0.0
2024 Q4
5,770
0
0
0.0
2024 Q3
7,168
0
0
0.0
2024 Q2
5,682
3
0
528.0
2024 Q1
1,100
0
0
0.0
2023 Q4
5,040
0
0
0.0
Show 82 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2023 Q3
283
1
0
3533.6
2023 Q2
4,007
1
0
249.6
2023 Q1
1,330
0
0
0.0
2022 Q4
2,735
0
0
0.0
2022 Q3
4,623
0
0
0.0
2022 Q2
1,957
0
0
0.0
2022 Q1
0
0
0
2021 Q4
3,880
1
1
257.7
2021 Q3
4,431
0
0
0.0
2021 Q2
4,844
0
0
0.0
2021 Q1
1
0
0
0.0
2020 Q4
3,882
1
0
257.6
2020 Q3
5,063
2
0
395.0
2020 Q2
3,069
0
0
0.0
2020 Q1
793
0
0
0.0
2019 Q4
2,969
0
0
0.0
2019 Q3
5,438
0
0
0.0
2019 Q2
4,414
0
0
0.0
2019 Q1
0
0
0
2018 Q4
4,309
1
0
232.1
2018 Q3
4,636
0
0
0.0
2018 Q2
4,678
0
0
0.0
2018 Q1
1,473
0
0
0.0
2017 Q4
3,762
4
0
1063.3
2017 Q3
4,968
0
0
0.0
2017 Q2
4,186
2
0
477.8
2017 Q1
1,587
0
0
0.0
2016 Q4
3,381
0
0
0.0
2016 Q3
4,867
0
0
0.0
2016 Q2
5,178
0
0
0.0
2016 Q1
1,186
0
0
0.0
2015 Q4
2,807
0
0
0.0
2015 Q3
4,826
0
0
0.0
2015 Q2
1,447
1
0
691.1
2013 Q4
557
0
0
0.0
2013 Q3
4,129
0
0
0.0
2013 Q2
3,022
0
0
0.0
2013 Q1
1
0
0
0.0
2012 Q4
2,686
0
0
0.0
2012 Q3
3,539
0
0
0.0
2012 Q2
3,823
3
0
784.7
2012 Q1
1,623
0
0
0.0
2011 Q4
2,531
0
0
0.0
2011 Q3
4,516
5
0
1107.2
2011 Q2
4,350
0
0
0.0
2011 Q1
211
0
0
0.0
2010 Q4
2,687
0
0
0.0
2008 Q3
298
0
0
0.0
2008 Q2
1,061
0
0
0.0
2008 Q1
845
0
0
0.0
2007 Q4
1,152
0
0
0.0
2007 Q3
1,362
0
0
0.0
2007 Q2
2,183
0
0
0.0
2007 Q1
1
0
0
0.0
2006 Q4
1,280
1
0
781.2
2006 Q3
1,700
0
0
0.0
2006 Q2
2,892
0
0
0.0
2006 Q1
1
0
0
0.0
2005 Q4
2,401
0
0
0.0
2005 Q3
3,901
0
0
0.0
2005 Q2
2,861
1
0
349.5
2005 Q1
1
0
0
0.0
2004 Q4
1,311
0
0
0.0
2004 Q3
2,341
0
0
0.0
2004 Q2
2,146
0
0
0.0
2004 Q1
1
0
0
0.0
2003 Q4
1,501
6
1
3997.3
2003 Q3
2,146
0
0
0.0
2003 Q2
1,951
0
0
0.0
2003 Q1
1
0
0
0.0
2002 Q4
1,351
5
1
3701.0
2002 Q3
2,146
0
0
0.0
2002 Q2
2,146
4
0
1863.9
2002 Q1
1
0
0
0.0
2001 Q4
1,486
0
0
0.0
2001 Q3
2,341
0
0
0.0
2001 Q2
1,904
3
0
1575.6
2001 Q1
1
0
0
0.0
2000 Q4
1,486
0
0
0.0
2000 Q3
2,341
0
0
0.0
2000 Q2
3,900
5
1
1282.1
2000 Q1
800
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
3 on file
2020 · 2 incidents
November 11, 2020MN · Metal/Non-Metallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
EE was part of a 3 person team working to remove snow, and ice from a tail pulley. EE was holding the tail pulley from rotating as another employee cleared out. The team leader instructed the EE to stay clear of the conveyor, but the EE did not hear the command. A bar was still in the tail pulley when it was bumped and the bar hit the EE and knocked them to the ground.
July 31, 2020MN · Metal/Non-Metaldry screening plant operator, screen house operatorHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Employee was pounding new bearings into a troughing roller can, using a socket and hammer. while pounding, the socket slipped off the bearing and pinched a finger when they swung the hammer again. Employee was wearing gloves.
2013 · 1 incident
October 8, 2013MN · Metal/Non-Metalhaul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driverHANDLING OF MATERIALS
After performing some routine maintenance, the miner felt some pain in his lower left back. he strained a muscle which inflamed putting pressure on a nerve.
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