Mining Incidents

Alpine Silica-San Antonio: 1 recorded fatality Metal/Non-Metal

Alpine Silica, LLC · Surface
Controlled by Pro Frac Holding Corp
San Antonio, Bexar County, TX  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 4105426

Alpine Silica-San Antonio has $25K in proposed MSHA penalties and $3K outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

Watch this mine

Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at Alpine Silica-San Antonio.

Fatalities
1
Total incidents
15
Years on record
2019–2026
Latest incident
Mar 2026
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2020
78
citations
16
significant & substantial
$24,563
proposed penalties
$21,485
paid to date
87% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $3,078 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2019
23
inspections on record
549
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: 549 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Imminent-danger orders
A Section 107(a) order removes miners from an area when an inspector finds an imminent danger. Each order is lifted once the condition is corrected, so this counts orders issued, not orders now in effect.
3
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2025-07-08.
On record since 2020.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.

Alpine Silica-San Antonio has $25K in proposed MSHA penalties and $3K 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.
$25K
proposed penalties
$25K
current assessed
$21K
paid to date
$3K
outstanding
69 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $601 in penalties contested before the Commission, $601 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-05-27.
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.
21.6%
significant & substantial
4.1%
high negligence or reckless
21.6%
reasonably likely or greater
36.5%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 2.7% low, 93.2% moderate, 4.1% high, 0.0% reckless.
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.
3 citations taken to the federal commission · 4% of citations on record
  • Stood as issued 3 · 100%
100%
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 3 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$601 proposed, $601 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 2021-06-27.
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
CENT 2021-0169 Default 2021 $601 → $601
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: 2025-11-14
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
9
samples
6
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz5
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg3
  • Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (9)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2025-11-14 Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz 5.92 10 0.59 Dry Screen Plant Operator
2025-11-14 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.48 1.27 0.38 Laborer, Bullgang
2025-11-14 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.38 1.18 0.32 Laborer, Bullgang
2023-07-05 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Laborer, Bullgang
2023-07-05 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.12 0.33 0.36 Laborer, Bullgang
2023-07-05 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2020-01-29 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.47 0.52 0.90 Kiln/Dryer Operator
2020-01-29 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Washer Operator
2020-01-29 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.16 0.47 0.34 Building Repair/Maint.
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.

Alpine Silica-San Antonio recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2025.

Injury rate, 2025
This rate is reportable injury cases per 100 full-time-equivalent workers per year, computed as 200,000 times cases divided by MSHA operator-reported employee-hours. Cases are injuries MSHA graded degree 01 through 07; accident-only events that hurt no one are excluded, and so are contractor injuries, whose hours do not attach to a single mine. Rates begin in 2000, when quarterly employment reporting starts, and are withheld below 20,000 hours in a year.
0.00
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US metal and nonmetal mining average was 1.65 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
In Texas, metal and nonmetal mining averaged 1.17 cases per 100 workers that year.
Year total case rate days-away fatal
2025 0.00 0.00 0.000
2024 4.86 3.24 0.000
2023 3.51 0.00 0.000
2021 1.42 1.42 0.000
2020 0.00 0.00 0.000
Source: injury cases from MSHA accident and injury records; employee-hours from MSHA quarterly employment reports. Rate is cases per 100 full-time-equivalent workers, operator employees only.
Ownership history
  1. Monarch Silica, LLC 2019 to 2024
  2. Alpine Silica, LLC 2024 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 63
2025 59
2024 54
2023 61
2022 60
2021 48
2020 37
2019 48
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Alpine Silica-San Antonio sits in Bexar County, Texas, where the Census mining category is 0.6% 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.
Bexar County, Texas · Population 2,037,344
0.6%
Mining share of county employment
$70,571
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
2026 Q2 35,602 1 1 28.1
2026 Q1 34,976 2 0 57.2
2025 Q4 36,194 2 0 55.3
2025 Q3 39,641 1 0 25.2
2025 Q2 37,479 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 40,641 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 28,523 3 0 105.2
2024 Q3 26,229 4 0 152.5
Show 20 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 38,456 0 0 0.0
2024 Q1 30,348 4 0 131.8
2023 Q4 39,094 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 40,361 8 0 198.2
2023 Q2 49,069 6 0 122.3
2023 Q1 42,501 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 49,967 2 1 40.0
2022 Q2 47,815 0 0 0.0
2022 Q1 40,013 4 2 100.0
2021 Q4 45,486 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 28,877 6 2 207.8
2021 Q2 36,422 0 0 0.0
2021 Q1 30,492 5 3 164.0
2020 Q4 23,250 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 13,888 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 24,673 1 0 40.5
2020 Q1 49,547 6 1 121.1
2019 Q4 52,907 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 37,813 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 20,274 0 0 0.0

Fatalities at this mine

1 recorded
March 28, 2026 TX · Metal/Non-Metal steel worker, iron metal worker, iron worker Fatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Alpine Silica, LLC · Fall from scaffolds, walkways, platforms

Employee unhooked lanyard and fell through roof resulting in fatal injuries.

Reportable incidents

14 on file (excluding fatalities above)

2024 · 5 incidents

December 16, 2024 TX · Metal/Non-Metal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Alpine Silica, LLC · Struck by flying object

Operator was using a 2 pound sledgehammer to remove a worn tooth from an excavator bucket. When the operator hit the worn tooth (one time) with the hammer, a metal shard broke off of the worn tooth and passed through the operator's pants and the top of EE's leather boots before penetrating the operator's left leg, just above EE's ankle.

November 30, 2024 TX · Metal/Non-Metal warehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operator HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Alpine Silica, LLC · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Miner struck by 'clay boulder' when EE crawled into a feed hopper to clear an obstruction. The miner suffered muscle damage requiring hospitalization and medication. Diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis. No broken bones were found during the examination.

November 6, 2024 TX · Metal/Non-Metal superintendent HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Alpine Silica, LLC · Struck against stationary object

Miner Suffered a laceration requiring 6 sutures to their left arm while removing a dryer expansion joint.

September 22, 2024 TX · Metal/Non-Metal utility man, shift tech, service/dump truck operator EXPLOSIVES AND BREAKING AGENTS
Alpine Silica, LLC · Contact with hot objects or substances

Miner suffered 3rd degree burns to the abdomen when a hose popped off the seal pump in the process of removal. Burns required debridement and an allograft.

April 23, 2024 TX · Metal/Non-Metal outside foreman, leadman HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Alpine Silica, LLC · Struck by flying object

While observing another miner removing teeth from an excavator bucket from approximately 5-6 feet away. The injured miner was struck in the hand by a shard of metal (approximately 4mm X5mm) that broke off of the excavator tooth.

2023 · 3 incidents

March 27, 2023 TX · Metal/Non-Metal outside foreman, leadman HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Monarch Silica, LLC · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Miner suffered pinch caused laceration to 5th digit of right hand when latch sprung open from tension on rotex door. Miner was in process of inspecting screens. Laceration required 3 sutures to close wound. Miner returned to work to complete shift.

March 26, 2023 TX · Metal/Non-Metal warehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operator HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Monarch Silica, LLC · Struck by falling object

Miner suffered crushing laceration to big toe on right foot when a counterweight fell, striking EE's foot. EE was wearing steel toe boots which protected the foot from more serious injury. The miners were in process of changing a belt on wet plant machinery. A come-a-long holding the counterweight slipped allowing the weight to fall.

February 15, 2023 TX · Metal/Non-Metal hydrate plant operator HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Monarch Silica, LLC · Struck against stationary object

While conducting inspection of a conveyor, they grasped a roller which had a sharp edge causing laceration to their hand which required 5 sutures to close the wound.

2022 · 4 incidents

July 29, 2022 TX · Metal/Non-Metal rotary bucket excavator operator SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Monarch Silica, LLC · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

The employee slipped while climbing down from an Excavator's tracks. EE had three points of contact and did not fall but sprained shoulder.

June 9, 2022 TX · Metal/Non-Metal front-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operator POWERED HAULAGE
Monarch Silica, LLC · Struck against a moving object

EE was traveling down the main entrance road, with EE's bucket down low and hit a pot hole. EE's bucket contacted the ground and the loader came to an abrupt stop and EE's improperly adjusted seat belt let EE bounce too far forward. EE slammed into the front of the loader causing a concussion (w/o LOC), small forehead cuts, and bruising.

June 9, 2022 TX · Metal/Non-Metal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech POWERED HAULAGE
Monarch Silica, LLC · Rubbed or abraded

Employee was adjusting the chain rigging on a dewatering screen motor. They hooked the rigging onto the fork of a skytrac. The skytrac operator did not wait for verbal confirmation or hand signals to begin lifting the load. Employee still had a hand on the chain and received a laceration on right hand ring finger.

April 1, 2022 TX · Metal/Non-Metal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech POWERED HAULAGE
Monarch Silica, LLC · Struck against a moving object

An employee was driving the manlift around the side of the plant to look into one of the main feed hoppers to check for a material cog. A front wheel loader working in the area did not see the manlift and backed into it. This caused the employee to slam into the handrail. This caused a muscle contusion on EE's left leg.

2021 · 1 incident

March 19, 2021 TX · Metal/Non-Metal haul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driver HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Monarch Silica, LLC · Fall to lower level, (Not Elsewhere Classified)

A truck driver arrived on site around 10:15PM and pulled up to MS, LLC's Safe Rach System to open the sand box hatch. Driver lowered the Safe-Rack cage properly onto the box. While opening the box hatch, Driver slipped and fell into the sand box. Local emergency response used a rescue ladder to help the driver climb out of the sand box.

2019 · 1 incident

May 31, 2019 TX · Metal/Non-Metal rotary bucket excavator operator SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Monarch Silica, LLC · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was climbing off excavator and slipped in the mud on the ground. Causing a small knee strain.