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Big Seam mine: 42 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Eagle's Nest Mining LLC · Underground
FORESTHILL, Placer County, CA  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 0404468

Big Seam mine has had no fatalities among 2 reportable incidents since 2022. MSHA has proposed $6K in penalties since 2000.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
2
Years on record
2022–2026
Latest incident
Jul 2026
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
42
citations
3
significant & substantial
$5,898
proposed penalties
$5,898
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date. The remaining $0 was reduced, settled, contested or is still owed.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Eagle's Nest Mining LLC's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
66
inspections on record
887
inspection hours
n/a
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: 887 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Big Seam mine has $6K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 1 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
$6K
current assessed
$6K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
40 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $20K in penalties contested before the Commission, $20K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-04-07.
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.
7.5%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
7.5%
reasonably likely or greater
52.5%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 37.5% low, 62.5% moderate, 0.0% 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 mine contested before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, with the outcome on record.
Docket Decision Judge Year Proposed / upheld
WEST 2023-0069 Settlement Bulluck 2023 $20K → $20K
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
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: 2022-04-13, 4 years ago
2
samples
0
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz1
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg1
Show the individual readings (2)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2022-04-13 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.12 Laborer, Bullgang
2021-01-13 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Scaling (hand)
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.
Ownership history
  1. John R De Maria 1980 to 1989
  2. Wildcat Mining LLC 1990 to 2020
  3. Eagle's Nest Mining LLC 2020 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 7
2025 8
2024 8
2023 6
2022 4
2021 4
2020 5
2012 6
2011 5
2010 5
2009 6
2008 6
2007 4
2006 5
2005 6
2004 5
2003 5
2002 5
2001 5
2000 3
1999 2
1998 3
1997 2
1996 3
1995 2
1994 3
1993 2
1992 3
1991 3
1990 1
1989 0
1988 4
1987 2
1986 2
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly; years before 2000 come from MSHA's archived Part 50 employment files.

Big Seam mine sits in Placer County, California, 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.
Placer County, California · Population 412,435
0.1%
Mining share of county employment
$114,678
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; earlier incidents are counted but not rate-adjusted, though reported hours reach back to 1983. 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
2026 Q2 3,548 1 0 281.8
2026 Q1 3,362 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 3,334 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 3,894 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 3,598 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 3,558 1 0 281.1
2024 Q3 2,922 1 0 342.2
2024 Q2 2,865 0 0 0.0
Show 60 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q1 2,729 0 0 0.0
2023 Q4 2,349 1 0 425.7
2023 Q3 2,025 1 0 493.8
2023 Q2 2,211 2 0 904.6
2023 Q1 1,873 1 0 533.9
2022 Q4 1,414 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 1,056 13 1 12310.6
2022 Q2 1,308 3 0 2293.6
2022 Q1 1,437 4 2 2783.6
2021 Q4 1,867 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 1,988 0 0 0.0
2021 Q2 1,760 0 0 0.0
2021 Q1 1,164 0 0 0.0
2020 Q4 420 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 57 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 68 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 40 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 83 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 79 1 0 12658.2
2010 Q3 48 1 0 20833.3
2010 Q2 175 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 350 3 0 8571.4
2009 Q4 306 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 840 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 237 0 0 0.0
2009 Q1 390 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 287 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 342 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 345 1 0 2898.6
2008 Q1 211 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 275 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 269 2 0 7434.9
2007 Q1 444 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 360 1 0 2777.8
2006 Q3 166 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 270 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 463 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 757 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 80 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 425 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 469 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 361 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 491 2 0 4073.3
2004 Q2 550 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 431 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 595 0 0 0.0
2003 Q2 444 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 416 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 416 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 402 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 470 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 485 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 338 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 1,450 0 0 0.0
2001 Q2 560 0 0 0.0
2001 Q1 330 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 576 1 0 1736.1
2000 Q3 430 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 243 0 0 0.0
2000 Q1 376 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

2 on file

2026 · 1 incident

July 2, 2026 CA · Metal/Non-Metal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Eagle's Nest Mining LLC · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was scaling when the bar slipped and sent a shockwave to their shoulder. While employee did not feel like it was an issue that day it did not heal quickly so 2 months later they asked to go have it looked at their shoulder is not bothering them the issue is their pinky finger is numb is the morning when they wake up.

Show 1 earlier incidents

2022 · 1 incident

March 1, 2022 CA · Metal/Non-Metal miner, nec HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Eagle's Nest Mining LLC · Struck against stationary object

The miner was hanging a 1.75" flexible conduit over a peg when the rubber housing stuck at the top of the peg and did not fall into the back of the peg. Using right fist with the thumb pointed at themselves, the miner attempted to set the cable when a perfect razor-sharp tooth of rock went through gloves into the side of hand where the palm meets the pinky finger.