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BALCONES CLAY PIT: 25 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Dean Word Company · Surface
Seguin, Guadalupe County, TX  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 4103039

BALCONES CLAY PIT has $3K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
2
Years on record
2009–2012
Latest incident
Feb 2012
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
25
citations
7
significant & substantial
$3,208
proposed penalties
$3,208
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Dean Word Company's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
33
inspections on record
248
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: 248 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

BALCONES CLAY PIT has $3K 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.
$3K
proposed penalties
$3K
current assessed
$3K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
25 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $100 in penalties contested before the Commission, $0 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2011-12-15.
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.
28.0%
significant & substantial
12.0%
high negligence or reckless
24.0%
reasonably likely or greater
40.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 12.0% low, 76.0% moderate, 12.0% 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.
1 citations taken to the federal commission · 4% of citations on record
  • Vacated or withdrawn 1 · 100%
100%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$100 proposed, $0 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 2011-02-22.
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 2011-453M Withdrawal Lesnick 2012 $100 → $0
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: 2010-04-06, 16 years ago
3
samples
0
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg3
Show the individual readings (3)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2010-04-06 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2010-04-06 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Backhoe Operator
2009-04-29 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.
Ownership history
  1. Wolff Inc 1980 to 1994
  2. Dean Word Company 1994 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2012 4
2011 4
2010 4
2009 3
2008 3
2007 3
2006 3
2005 2
2004 2
2003 2
2002 2
2001 2
2000 4
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

BALCONES CLAY PIT sits in Guadalupe County, Texas, where the Census mining category is 1.2% 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.
Guadalupe County, Texas · Population 178,368
1.2%
Mining share of county employment
$93,776
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
2012 Q1 1,484 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 1,662 2 1 1203.4
2011 Q3 1,409 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 1,879 1 0 532.2
2011 Q1 1,263 1 0 791.8
2010 Q4 1,018 0 0 0.0
2010 Q3 1,587 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 2,020 4 1 1980.2
Show 41 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2010 Q1 1,032 0 0 0.0
2009 Q4 877 2 0 2280.5
2009 Q3 2,153 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 2,007 3 2 1494.8
2009 Q1 1,610 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 2,399 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 957 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 784 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 857 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 1,616 2 0 1237.6
2007 Q3 1,433 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 1,602 1 0 624.2
2007 Q1 1,304 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 1,865 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 1,163 1 0 859.8
2006 Q2 1,154 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 1,304 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 1,099 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 1,287 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 1,485 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 1,098 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 860 2 2 2325.6
2004 Q3 1,126 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 1,417 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 1,567 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 1,290 1 0 775.2
2003 Q3 1,030 0 0 0.0
2003 Q2 988 1 1 1012.1
2003 Q1 1,061 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 974 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 978 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 1,048 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 978 1 0 1022.5
2001 Q4 1,356 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 1,101 2 0 1816.5
2001 Q2 1,422 0 0 0.0
2001 Q1 2,118 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 2,107 0 0 0.0
2000 Q3 2,186 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 2,058 1 0 485.9
2000 Q1 1,292 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

2 on file

2012 · 1 incident

February 21, 2012 TX · Metal/Non-Metal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer EXPLODING VESSELS UNDER PRESSURE
Dean Word Company · Contact with hot objects or substances

The injured employee was operating a Caterpillar scraper. He just dumped his load and turned the machine around when the drivers side tire exploded. The employee suffered first degree burns to his arms and neck.

2009 · 1 incident

February 27, 2009 TX · Metal/Non-Metal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Dean Word Company · Struck by flying object

Employee was using a pick to remove clay that built up between the grinding teeth of a milling machine. When the pick accidentally struck one of the teeth on the machine, a sliver of metal hit the employee on the chin. Over the next 5 days the area began to fester until he was taken to the doctor for observation.