Employee accompanied another employee and a lead employee to go over some program reset training on the refinery retort. While programing the retort with the lead and other employee observing, EE paused, looked straight in the air, began whispering something, slowly stepped in circular motion and fell face forward going into a seizure.
Soledad Mountain ProjectMetal/Nonmetal
- Fatalities
- 0
- Total incidents
- 56
- Years on record
- 2014–2025
- Latest incident
- Nov 2025
Reportable incidents
56 on file2025 · 7 incidents
Employee had just finished lunch and begun EE's normal job duties. While working from EE's desk EE experienced severe lower abdominal pain. EE notified EE's supervisor who then notified the General Manager. The General Manager placed a call to request an ambulance. EE was then transported to the ER.
While operating a loader, the operators bucket got hung up on a buried rock in the muck face. When the rock gave way, the loader jarred the operator causing a neck strain/sprain.
While collecting process solution samples from the leach pad an employee was descending down the ditch where samples are taken. While walking down the ladder used to travel up/down the ditch a step broke allowing the employee to fall backwards on the side. On 6-4-2025 it was determined they suffered a fractured L1 vertebra. The employee's first day missed from work was 6-6-2025.
Employee was un-coupling a trailer mounted pressure washer from a pick-up truck hitch. The trailer tongue jack failed resulting in the tongue falling to the ground and striking the employee in the dorsal region of the right foot. This resulted in fracture to the right foot.
While employee was ascending a piece of equipment, EE lost EE's balance causing EE to pivot and twist EE's right knee.
Employee was installing a head nut to a cone crusher. The employee had EE's fingers in a pinch point between the nut and the cone itself. Once the nut set into place it pinched the employee's right ring finger, resulting in fracture.
2024 · 1 incident
EE has a pre-diabetic condition. EE requires comprehensive wound care management, including regular cleaning and dressing changes, education on diabetes management, and guidance on maintaining personal hygiene to promote healing and prevent further complications. EE's failure to follow the conditions allowed blisters to form on EE's feet while wearing diabetes socks and work boots.
2023 · 5 incidents
While a contract company was conducting repairs in a chute above a crushing screen, a fire ignited on some rubber sheeting. The fire was additionally fueled by the contractor's welding leads from their gas bottles. Damages are roughly upward of $1,000,000.
WAS WORKING ON A WA900 LOADER GOING UP AND DOWN THE LADDER AND STEPS MANY TIMES FIXING SOME WIRES. FELT A LITTLE PULL IN LEFT KNEE. CALLED THE SUPERVISOR.
While operating a haul truck in the pit, an equipment computer monitor fell from its resting place hitting the employee on the lower right leg causing some scrapes and bruising.
After removing timbers (planks of wood from old mine workings) an employee experienced some discomfort in shoulder. After deciding the pain had become unbearable the employee reported the issue to the supervisor about three weeks later on the reported accident date 04/15/2023.
While being loaded by a Komatsu PC 3000 Shovel, while operating a HD 785 Komastu haul truck an operator felt a jolt to their lower back, causing pain to their lower back and legs. Employee stated that rock hit the headache rack causing the jolt the operator felt. No known damage to the equipment was reported or noticed.
2022 · 6 incidents
While attempting to clear a material jam in the cone crusher with a small pin bar the employee's momentum carried their hand too close to a fixed object as the bar sank into the material. The employee smashed their finger between the pin bar and the frame of a hatch door to the cone crusher. The employee failed to use the proper and required tool for the job.
Employee called saying a knee was hurting and they couldn't move it. Employee had been working on a shovel, going up and down the stairs, they think that this contributed to the pain due to the steepness of the stairs.
While trying to release a rock build up in a cone crusher with a 6' pry bar through the side hatch door a few rocks released smashing the employee's right index finger causing a fracture to the employee's finger.
While cutting a pattern out on a piece of rubber belt with a folding utility knife, the locking mechanism failed allowing the blade to fold back in towards the employee's hand leaving a laceration. Two stitches were required.
After dropping off a load in a haul truck the operator was headed back for their next load. While driving back the operator dozed off, veering into another operator causing a head on collision of two haul trucks. The second operator received pain to their neck, and shoulder from the collision.
While employee was changing a tire with a tire machine, employee attempted to lift the tire off the machine and injured EE's right arm.
2021 · 6 incidents
While hopping out of a pickup truck the employee misjudged the step down to an uneven surface and landed awkward, resulting in a sprained ankle. Employee did not lose any time due to injury. EE was able to return to work the next day on light duty.
While walking on a clear and free of debris catwalk the employee felt a pop in ankle. Employee did not twist or pivot in any manner that would cause a strain. Employee was simply walking and felt it pop.
While removing a dozer ripper tooth with a 3 lb. sledge hammer after gouging with an air arc, the employee felt a pinch on EE's right calf on EE's first strike with the hammer. The employee felt the warmth and wetness of blood running down EE's leg and EE pulled EE's FR pants up to realize EE had a wound to EE's leg from the sheared medal.
Employee was pressure washing a filter. While holding the filter with EE's right hand EE held the pressure washer wand in EE's left hand. While EE was attempting to wash the inside of the filter EE placed EE's hand in the line of fire of the water stream, resulting in a laceration to the right ring finger.
Injured person was carrying approximately 45lbs of tools when EE stepped into a divot made by a tamping nodule approx 1-2"" deep, 6"" long causing the ankle to roll, and pain in EE's left knee. Treatment of ice, elevation, anti-inflammation pills, muscle relaxants were prescribed. Work restrictions given.
While walking along the drill pattern a gust of wind pushed the employee forward causing EE to step in a drill hole with their left leg while the right leg remained on the surface level. The abrupt slip into the hole caused the right knee flex hard and fast.
2020 · 4 incidents
While attempting to maneuver a jack stand at the base the top portion of the jack fell, striking the employee on the right thumb causing a fracture to the bone.
While descending a ladder the employee reached the bottom rung and stepped back into a pallet jack, stumbling backward over it while holding a drill in EE's right hand. EE then fell awkwardly on EE's right hand while trying to plant EE's hand to catch EE from EE's fall. This resulted in a small fracture to EE's forearm. EE's most recent evaluation on the 8th revealed the fracture.
While an employee was prepping samples in the lab they cut left hand with a folding handled razor blade while trying to cut some cellophane to cover the samples.
Employee slipped off the top step of a fuel truck and fell to the ground straining EE's knees. Steps were in good condition, employee just lost balance. Actual incident happened on 5/19/2020. Lost time started on 1/06/2021 due to surgery.
2019 · 6 incidents
Electrician was placed on modified duty on 11/15/2019. EE returned to clinic on 11/27/2019 for a re-evaluation. It was determined on that day EE would be placed on temporary disability. We do not believe this incident happened at work as there is no evidence that it occurred at work and was not mentioned for a whole week after it supposedly happened.
While EE was holding cutting edge to equipment bucket by hand another EE was trying to remove torch cut bolts with a pneumatic hammer. The hammer slipped off the bolt and hit the EE's left ring finger causing a displaced fracture to the medial phalanx.
Employee was standing in a loader bucket hammering outward trying to remove a lip protector from the bucket. While hammering with a sledge hammer a piece of metal flew off and hit EE's left forearm. The object became embedded into the arm.
Driller was pulling rods out of the hole, The foot clamp bushing came out and the helper reached down to grab the bushing and driller closed the clamp and it pinched the fatty part of helpers thumb.
While walking downward off the back of a lubricant trailer no higher than 2' tall, employee was in a hurry and slipped on the trailer surface causing EE's feet to go out from under EE. While falling RR hit the back of head on a barrel containing the oil. The result was a laceration to the back of the head.
While removing a drill fork from a drill hammer the employee's hand became wedged in between the fork attachment and a stationary object. A slow reversed rotation of the drill hammer caused their hand to become lodged between the two objects in the tight space.
2018 · 7 incidents
Employee was descending an equipment ladder and the ladder rolled under causing the employee to jar EE's back and knee. Incident became a reportable injury when EE was issued a prescription medication on 12/28/2018.
Employee was holding a punch tool with a pair of vice grips while another employee was hitting the punch to remove a pin in the tracks of a piece of equipment. The other employee hit the punch with a sledge hammer causing debris to break off from the punch and shoot into the employee's hand. Employee was left with a fragment of the debris in left hand.
Employee was weighing beads in the lab and dropped one. When they bent down to pick it up they hit the back of their head on the corner of a lab table after picking up the bead and coming back up. Employee did not report the incident until they arrived at the hospital on 8/11/2018. It was then determined that they had a mild concussion.
Tooth was jammed and not going on the shank. Employee pushed on the tooth while it was being held in place by poly crane. Tooth did not move while trying to push on to the shank and employee suddenly felt pain in arm. Miner had surgery on Friday 9/07/2018 miner's first day of lost time. Miner has been on modified work duties till 9/07/2018.
While employee was lifting and setting a drill basket onto the drill deck, EE smashed right ring finger between the basket and the toe board on the deck.
Employee was walking in a pit at the mine after servicing a piece of equipment. Service included refilling fluid levels to the equipment. As the employee was walking back to truck employee felt pain in lower back. Employee originally injured employee's back on 10/29/2017. A 7000-1 was filled out for this incident. E Doc # 2493240
While employee was attempting to install a new roller in a conveyor belt system with the help of another employee, left ring finger was smashed when the other employee pulled the roller towards self. The shift caused the roller to fall towards the frame work about 6"" below. The employee's finger was smashed between the roller and angle iron, causing swelling and a fracture.
2017 · 4 incidents
Employee had just finished servicing the shovel in the pit and was waiting in the lube truck for a loader to finish maneuvering so they could safely exit the pit. While watching the loader and waiting truck was hit from behind by a backing dozer. Employee suffered back pain from the jarring impact of the dozer. Employee did not receive prescription medication until 11/10/2017.
Employee was attempting to remove guards below the teeth on a bucket from a loader with a 3/4"" impact driver. The employee was holding the driver extended out away from body while reaching under the bucket. The ee posture/ergonomics and the weight of the driver put a strain on lower back through the duration of the job which caused a sprain after feeling a pop.
Due to the set up of the equipment the employee was working on the employee was in an awkward position with arm extended holding an 18"" crescent wrench attempting to relieve the pressure on a tension-er. This put a strain on the employee's neck resulting in a strained neck muscle.
The employee had a prior knee injury that did not require reporting until now. Employee initially injured knee while stepping down out of equipment on 5/24/2017. Employee went to physical therapy for awhile. It was recently determined ee would require surgery. EE first day of lost time was yesterday 1/25/2018 as ee was out for scheduled surgery.
2016 · 5 incidents
Employee strained muscles in EE's neck while tightening a wheel handle by hand to the retort door. Employee will return to EE's regular work schedule on 11/14/16 with no missed time. Employee received muscle relaxer medication and Ibuprofen for the pain.
Employee attempted to climb a ladder to a rental water truck to observe the water level. The employee noticed the ladder did not have a sufficient number of rungs to reach the ladder comfortably. Employee then stepped on a fixed hose reel to reach the bottom rung. The employee descended the ladder and over flexed left knee while reaching for the ground with right leg.
Cleaning out horizontal feed chute a clump of material fell down and stuck employee's hard hat in the front. Strained muscles in neck and lower back. Could not be returned to light duty EE will be off till 9-6-16 at this point.
Employee was racking HQ while tripping out of an angle hole. As employee was sliding 20 ft section onto rod rack pinched the tip of right pinky finger between HQ Rods.
Employee stepped on a rock while stepping down off of a piece of equipment after doing a routine maintenance check. Employee then rolled their right ankle, sending them to the ground where they landed on their forearm and palm.
2015 · 2 incidents
Employee claims he was struck in the knee caps by a concrete pump hose. He did not report his injury until June 29, 2015.
Employee was breaking off snap ties when the pipe slipped from his hand. The pipe sprang back, hitting him just below the nose, requiring stitches
2014 · 3 incidents
Employee was lifting a rubber mat into a truck and strained his back. He didn't report it until the next work day. We sought medical attention and it was first deemed First Aid. On 12/29/2014 he sought additional medical treatment as the pain continued and the doctor ordered restricted duty. He has been working on restricted duty since the 29th.
Working in the drill core shack, employee was lifting core samples and strained his back. He worked the remainder of his shift on light duty and requested the next shift off. He returned to work the following shift.
Our employee suffered a seizure while on the job site.