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: 255 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Orona has $7K in proposed MSHA penalties and $632 outstanding across 0 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.
$7K
proposed penalties
$7K
current assessed
$6K
paid to date
$632
outstanding
34 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-08-14.
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.
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: 2024-02-16
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
12
samples
1
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Respirable dust, <.1mg9
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz2
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (12)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2024-02-16
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2024-02-16
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.21
10
0.02
Front-end Loader Operator
2022-01-04
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2022-01-04
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.15
Front-end Loader Operator
2021-08-10
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Laborer, Bullgang
2021-08-10
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2021-03-04
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Supervisor, Co. Official
2021-03-04
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2021-03-04
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Dry Screen Plant Operator
2021-03-04
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2020-09-16
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.23
Laborer, Bullgang
2020-09-16
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
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
2026
12
2025
8
2024
6
2023
6
2022
6
2021
6
2020
4
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly; years before 2000 come from MSHA's archived Part 50 employment files.
Orona sits in Valencia County, New Mexico, where the Census mining category is 0.2% 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.
Valencia County, New Mexico · Population 77,382
0.2%
Mining share of county employment
$58,333
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
Yard personnel employee was at the mine assisting two miners in changing out the screens on the sand screen plant. They raised the banana bar on the sand screen plant and it fell and fractured the tip of EE's right ring finger. No lost work days, being treated at occupational care and no PT.