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: 897 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.
1
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2019-11-19.
On record since 2019.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
Bison No 1 has $332K in proposed MSHA penalties and $93K 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.
$332K
proposed penalties
$304K
current assessed
$210K
paid to date
$93K
outstanding
197 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $60K in penalties contested before the Commission, $31K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-05-20.
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.
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.
10citations taken to the federal commission · 5% of citations on record
Settled
10 · 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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 2 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
48%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$60K proposed, $31K 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 2018-10-30.
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.
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: 2025-11-25
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
18
samples
6
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Respirable dust, <.1mg8
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz7
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz2
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (18)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2025-11-25
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.24
1.02
0.24
Crusher Oper/Worker
2025-11-25
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.39
Front-end Loader Operator
2025-11-25
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.19
1.18
0.16
Truck Driver
2025-11-25
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Rotary Bucket Ex. Operator
2022-05-11
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Rotary Bucket Ex. Operator
2022-05-11
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Truck Driver
2022-05-11
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.36
1.09
0.33
Front-end Loader Operator
2022-05-11
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.5
Crusher Oper/Worker
2020-07-15
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.15
10
0.02
Truck Driver
2020-07-15
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.19
Truck Driver
2020-07-15
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Crusher Oper/Worker
2020-07-15
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Rotary Bucket Ex. Operator
2018-03-07
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.19
Crusher Oper/Worker
2018-03-07
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Rotary Bucket Ex. Operator
2018-03-07
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.18
10
0.02
Truck Driver
2018-03-07
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2010-07-14
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Crusher Oper/Worker
2010-07-14
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.8
3.11
0.26
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.
Bison No 1 recorded 6.05 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.
6.05
total case rate
6.05
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above 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 Oklahoma, metal and nonmetal mining averaged 1.92 cases per 100 workers that year.
Under 100,000 employee-hours were reported that year, so a single case moves the rate by two or more. Read the figure as approximate.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2025 *
6.05
6.05
0.000
2024 *
6.14
6.14
0.000
2023 *
5.38
5.38
5.375
2022 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2021 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2020 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2019 *
4.41
0.00
0.000
2018 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
* Fewer than 100,000 employee-hours that year; the rate is less stable.
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.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year
Employees
2026
15
2025
13
2024
14
2023
13
2022
16
2021
15
2020
17
2019
18
2018
16
2017
15
2016
13
2015
12
2014
11
2013
10
2012
9
2011
5
2010
4
2009
8
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Bison No 1 sits in Washington County, Oklahoma, where the Census mining category is 4.2% 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.
Washington County, Oklahoma · Population 52,895
4.2%
Mining share of county employment
$61,205
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
9,830
18
2
1831.1
2026 Q1
8,748
0
0
0.0
2025 Q4
10,190
4
0
392.5
2025 Q3
8,156
1
1
122.6
2025 Q2
7,474
5
1
669.0
2025 Q1
7,246
2
1
276.0
2024 Q4
8,111
0
0
0.0
2024 Q3
9,015
5
2
554.6
Show 59 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2
8,214
0
0
0.0
2024 Q1
7,240
7
1
966.9
2023 Q4
9,543
4
1
419.2
2023 Q3
7,912
7
0
884.7
2023 Q2
9,311
0
0
0.0
2023 Q1
10,443
0
0
0.0
2022 Q4
11,668
4
0
342.8
2022 Q3
11,548
0
0
0.0
2022 Q2
12,276
4
0
325.8
2022 Q1
12,970
7
4
539.7
2021 Q4
12,965
0
0
0.0
2021 Q3
12,950
4
1
308.9
2021 Q2
10,669
0
0
0.0
2021 Q1
10,374
4
0
385.6
2020 Q4
10,281
0
0
0.0
2020 Q3
10,366
11
3
1061.2
2020 Q2
10,696
1
0
93.5
2020 Q1
11,398
0
0
0.0
2019 Q4
11,635
16
5
1375.2
2019 Q3
12,599
0
0
0.0
2019 Q2
11,138
3
0
269.3
2019 Q1
10,000
4
1
400.0
2018 Q4
12,145
0
0
0.0
2018 Q3
10,721
10
2
932.7
2018 Q2
11,341
0
0
0.0
2018 Q1
8,149
6
1
736.3
2017 Q4
5,042
0
0
0.0
2017 Q3
9,871
15
6
1519.6
2017 Q2
9,779
0
0
0.0
2017 Q1
9,741
0
0
0.0
2016 Q4
8,612
1
1
116.1
2016 Q3
5,648
4
2
708.2
2016 Q2
7,367
0
0
0.0
2016 Q1
7,337
0
0
0.0
2015 Q4
7,214
5
1
693.1
2015 Q3
7,473
5
1
669.1
2015 Q2
8,097
0
0
0.0
2015 Q1
7,173
4
0
557.6
2014 Q4
7,613
0
0
0.0
2014 Q3
8,033
0
0
0.0
2014 Q2
7,733
0
0
0.0
2014 Q1
7,964
1
0
125.6
2013 Q4
6,880
0
0
0.0
2013 Q3
6,436
2
0
310.8
2013 Q2
5,418
0
0
0.0
2013 Q1
3,578
0
0
0.0
2012 Q4
4,137
3
0
725.2
2012 Q3
4,992
3
1
601.0
2012 Q2
4,851
0
0
0.0
2012 Q1
3,498
2
0
571.8
2011 Q4
3,120
2
0
641.0
2011 Q3
3,129
5
1
1598.0
2011 Q2
3,027
0
0
0.0
2011 Q1
1,897
4
1
2108.6
2010 Q4
2,020
0
0
0.0
2010 Q3
2,015
2
0
992.6
2010 Q2
2,000
0
0
0.0
2010 Q1
1,855
9
2
4851.8
2009 Q4
2,791
0
0
0.0
Fatalities at this mine
1 recorded
December 14, 2023OK · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techFatality · MACHINERY
Bison Materials LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Miner was moving a rinse bucket to access a piece of metal that needed to be repaired and welded. As EE pulled the pin from the rinse bucket somehow the hydraulic cylinder gave way pinning the miner in between the bucket and a handrail. Resulting in the death of the miner.
An EE was trying to remove a bit from drill pipe on John Henry drill. IE put a pipe wrench on the bit & spun the wrench so that it was touching the ground. IE stood on the pipe wrench to keep it from moving. EE began slowly rotating the drill pipe & pipe wrench sprung upward & threw IE sideways causing EE to land on EE's side on the ground.
2024 · 1 incident
November 11, 2024OK · Metal/Non-Metalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorSTEPPING OR KNEELING ON OBJECT
The miner was climbing into their loader and heard something pop in their leg and then could not put weight on it. Other miners got them to the scale house and proceeded with ice on the site of pain. Miner was then sent to primary care for x-rays.
2019 · 1 incident
July 22, 2019OK · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techPOWERED HAULAGE
Mechanic was leaving the scale house on the access road to the quarry. Mechanic stated that EE "was only going 15mph and thought EE had a blowout and it jerked EE's truck (2003 GMC 1500) EE was driving to the left flipping EE where the truck came to rest on the cab upside down." Employee received stitches in EE's left eyebrow/temple area.