Mining Incidents

Avatar Crystal Mine: 16 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Fantasia Mining, Inc. · Surface
Controlled by Jessica Suit
Mt. Ida, Montgomery County, AR  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 0301682

Avatar Crystal Mine has $8K in proposed MSHA penalties and $3K outstanding across 3 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
2001
Latest incident
Apr 2001
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2001
16
citations
8
significant & substantial
$7,568
proposed penalties
$275
paid to date
4% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $7,293 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2001
24
inspections on record
233
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: 233 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Avatar Crystal Mine has $8K in proposed MSHA penalties and $3K 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.
$8K
proposed penalties
$4K
current assessed
$275
paid to date
$3K
outstanding
13 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $4K in penalties contested before the Commission, $500 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2011-08-18.
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.
57.1%
significant & substantial
35.7%
high negligence or reckless
57.1%
reasonably likely or greater
71.4%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 21.4% low, 42.9% moderate, 35.7% 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
CENT20020294M Settlement Zielinski 2003 $4K → $420
CENT20030029M Settlement Zielinski 2003 $200 → $25
CENT20030030M Default Barbour 2003 $55 → $55
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: 2009-06-17, 17 years ago
1
samples
0
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg1
Show the individual readings (1)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2009-06-17 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Supervisor, Co. Official
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. Mauldin Crystal Mining Company 1989 to 1994
  2. Tony Thacker Mine 1994 to 1999
  3. Crystal Mtn Gems 1999 to 2005
  4. Matthew Price 2005 to 2012
  5. Fantasia Mining, Inc. 2012 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2011 0
2010 3
2009 2
2008 1
2007 2
2006 1
2005 2
2004 3
2003 2
2002 3
2001 2
2000 1
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Avatar Crystal Mine sits in Montgomery County, Arkansas, 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.
Montgomery County, Arkansas · Population 8,571
0.1%
Mining share of county employment
$49,015
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
2011 Q1 0 0 0
2010 Q4 658 0 0 0.0
2010 Q3 265 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 160 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 160 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 145 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 234 0 0 0.0
2009 Q1 21 0 0 0.0
Show 35 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2008 Q4 0 0 0
2008 Q3 40 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 160 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 35 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 80 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 66 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 20 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 190 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 35 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 40 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 150 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 150 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 100 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 245 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 200 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 210 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 240 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 120 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 60 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 120 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 60 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 50 0 0 0.0
2003 Q2 0 0 0
2003 Q1 20 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 10 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 0 0 0
2002 Q2 400 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 120 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 8 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 0 3 1
2001 Q2 40 9 7 225000.0
2001 Q1 100 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 0 0 0
2000 Q2 0 0 0
2000 Q1 220 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2001 · 1 incident

April 22, 2001 AR · Metal/Non-Metal mine manager, mine foreman, mine owner FALL OF FACE/RIB/PILLAR/SIDE/HIGHWALL
Crystal Mtn Gems · Struck by falling object

I WAS WORKING ON THE BACKHOE JCB ABOUT 150+ FEET WHEN I NOTICE I MADE A CRACK IN WALL TO COLLECT CRYSTAL.I STOPPED MACHINE AND LOOKED LEFT WHEN I NOTICED RUBBLE ROLLING IN PIT A (MIDDLE ???). I NOTICED A FREND BRIAN LOOK ON FACE I JUMPED OFF MACHINE & ENVESTIGATED AREA TO FIND INJURED HAVING DIFFICULTY GETTING UP. FREND & I DRUG HIM OUT OF MINE W/ SOME INJURY BEING HEAD,NECK OR BAC