Mining Incidents

Bluntzer Plant #3: 134 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Wright Materials · Surface
Controlled by ATM Holdings LLC
Robstown, San Patricio County, TX  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 4103695

Bluntzer Plant #3 has $45K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 2 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
10
Years on record
1992–2023
Latest incident
Jun 2023
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
134
citations
35
significant & substantial
$44,886
proposed penalties
$41,422
paid to date
92% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $3,464 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
74
inspections on record
757
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: 757 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Bluntzer Plant #3 has $45K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 2 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.
$45K
proposed penalties
$41K
current assessed
$41K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
132 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $29K in penalties contested before the Commission, $12K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-06-03.
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.
26.3%
significant & substantial
6.0%
high negligence or reckless
26.3%
reasonably likely or greater
40.6%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 6.0% low, 88.0% moderate, 6.0% 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.
13 citations taken to the federal commission · 10% of citations on record
  • Settled 9 · 69%
  • Vacated or withdrawn 4 · 31%
71%
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 7 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
60%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$29K proposed, $12K 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 2016-10-19.
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 2017-0033 Settlement Moran 2017 $29K → $12K
CENT 2010-1314M Settlement Lesnick 2011 $100 → $100
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: 2025-12-09
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
17
samples
2
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg14
  • Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz1
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz1
  • Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (17)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2025-12-09 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.27 1.21 0.22 Belt Cleaner
2025-12-09 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Screen/Scalper Operator
2025-12-09 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2023-06-28 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Dragline Operator
2023-06-28 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Utility Man
2022-04-19 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Laborer, Bullgang
2022-04-19 Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.21 10 0.02 Laborer, Bullgang
2022-04-19 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Dragline Operator
2018-08-14 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Truck Driver
2018-08-14 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Utility Man
2018-08-14 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Utility Man
2012-07-25 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2012-07-25 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Dragline Operator
2012-07-25 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Truck Driver
2008-07-01 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Belt Cleaner
2008-07-01 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2008-07-01 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.16 Truck Driver
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.

Bluntzer Plant #3 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.
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 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2024 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2023 * 4.54 4.54 0.000
2022 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2021 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2020 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2019 * 0.00 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.
Ownership history
  1. Wright Materials Inc 1991 to 2024
  2. Wright Materials 2024 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 12
2025 11
2024 13
2023 18
2022 16
2021 17
2020 16
2019 16
2018 16
2017 16
2016 16
2015 16
2014 17
2013 16
2012 15
2011 14
2010 15
2009 16
2008 17
2007 16
2006 19
2005 19
2004 17
2003 13
2002 11
2001 11
2000 11
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Bluntzer Plant #3 sits in San Patricio County, Texas, 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.
San Patricio County, Texas · Population 69,519
4.2%
Mining share of county employment
$67,512
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 9,966 1 0 100.3
2026 Q1 9,595 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 10,073 1 0 99.3
2025 Q3 8,791 1 0 113.8
2025 Q2 7,620 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 7,828 1 0 127.7
2024 Q4 8,086 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 8,896 0 0 0.0
Show 98 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 9,443 3 1 317.7
2024 Q1 10,457 1 0 95.6
2023 Q4 11,979 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 10,387 0 0 0.0
2023 Q2 11,218 5 1 445.7
2023 Q1 10,508 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 12,119 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 9,796 1 0 102.1
2022 Q2 10,982 1 1 91.1
2022 Q1 12,809 0 0 0.0
2021 Q4 13,538 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 12,407 1 0 80.6
2021 Q2 12,362 0 0 0.0
2021 Q1 9,785 1 0 102.2
2020 Q4 13,891 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 11,260 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 13,968 1 0 71.6
2020 Q1 11,774 0 0 0.0
2019 Q4 13,089 2 0 152.8
2019 Q3 10,587 1 0 94.5
2019 Q2 12,462 0 0 0.0
2019 Q1 11,017 1 0 90.8
2018 Q4 12,413 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 10,702 2 0 186.9
2018 Q2 11,447 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 11,819 3 1 253.8
2017 Q4 12,319 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 11,345 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 12,742 1 0 78.5
2017 Q1 11,641 2 0 171.8
2016 Q4 11,797 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 11,286 8 5 708.8
2016 Q2 13,116 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 11,190 9 1 804.3
2015 Q4 12,781 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 11,668 3 0 257.1
2015 Q2 11,014 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 10,005 1 0 100.0
2014 Q4 12,094 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 10,071 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 11,781 3 2 254.6
2014 Q1 11,078 5 0 451.3
2013 Q4 12,390 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 10,643 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 11,570 2 0 172.9
2013 Q1 10,446 12 6 1148.8
2012 Q4 11,828 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 9,459 2 1 211.4
2012 Q2 10,471 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 9,913 1 0 100.9
2011 Q4 10,909 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 9,491 6 1 632.2
2011 Q2 10,031 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 10,360 2 0 193.1
2010 Q4 11,692 0 0 0.0
2010 Q3 10,998 3 2 272.8
2010 Q2 11,315 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 9,227 0 0 0.0
2009 Q4 11,529 3 0 260.2
2009 Q3 10,135 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 10,719 3 1 279.9
2009 Q1 9,497 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 12,950 4 2 308.9
2008 Q3 10,593 3 0 283.2
2008 Q2 11,005 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 10,060 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 10,618 4 0 376.7
2007 Q3 10,869 2 1 184.0
2007 Q2 10,463 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 10,628 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 12,085 5 0 413.7
2006 Q3 11,335 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 13,472 13 5 965.0
2006 Q1 12,816 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 13,240 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 13,038 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 13,736 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 12,237 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 11,826 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 11,621 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 11,159 2 1 179.2
2004 Q1 9,226 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 10,319 2 1 193.8
2003 Q3 6,761 1 1 147.9
2003 Q2 10,527 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 7,828 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 7,891 2 0 253.5
2002 Q3 8,671 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 8,830 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 8,219 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 8,009 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 8,490 0 0 0.0
2001 Q2 9,693 0 0 0.0
2001 Q1 8,387 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 8,781 2 0 227.8
2000 Q3 9,216 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 9,658 0 0 0.0
2000 Q1 8,800 1 1 113.6
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

10 on file

2023 · 1 incident

June 7, 2023 TX · Metal/Non-Metal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman POWERED HAULAGE
Wright Materials Inc · Caught in, under or between running or meshing objects

Employee had a seizure or passed out and rolled onto the moving conveyor belt. Found out after that such employee was diagnosed with epilepsy previously. Accident happened 06/07/2023 at approx. 10:45.

2006 · 1 incident

July 27, 2006 TX · Metal/Non-Metal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Wright Materials Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

Door to tool box fell on arm.

2000 · 1 incident

February 12, 2000 TX · Metal/Non-Metal mine manager, mine foreman, mine owner HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Wright Materials Inc · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

WORKING ON DRAGLINE--WRENCH SLIPPED AND HIT HIS LIP.

1998 · 3 incidents

August 5, 1998 TX · Metal/Non-Metal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Wright Materials Inc · Fall to the walkway or working surface

TIGHTENING 3/8" BOLT-WRENCH SLIPPED AND HE STOPPED HIS FALL WITH HIS HAND

July 25, 1998 TX · Metal/Non-Metal crane operator, mobile equipment operator (meo), dragline operator, dropball operator, rigger HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Wright Materials Inc · Struck by flying object

THE EMPLOYEE WAS CHIPPING METAL WITH HAMMER - A PIECE OF METAL FLEW OFF - CUTTING HIS SKIN ON ABDOMEN.

April 13, 1998 TX · Metal/Non-Metal crane operator, mobile equipment operator (meo), dragline operator, dropball operator, rigger HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Wright Materials Inc · Struck by flying object

REMOVING A BOLT WITH CHIPPING HAMMER-A PIECE OF METAL FLEW INTO HAND.

1997 · 1 incident

April 14, 1997 TX · Metal/Non-Metal mine manager, mine foreman, mine owner HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Wright Materials Inc · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

DRIVING PIN FROM DRAGLINE, HAMMER HIT METAL AND GLANCED OFF STRIKING EE ON HEAD.

1996 · 1 incident

August 14, 1996 TX · Metal/Non-Metal mine manager, mine foreman, mine owner HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Wright Materials Inc · Contact with hot objects or substances

KNOCKING SLAG OFF PIPE - A PIECE FLEW INTO HIS LEFT EYE.

1994 · 1 incident

August 18, 1994 TX · Metal/Non-Metal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Wright Materials Inc · Struck against stationary object

HE WAS TIGHTENING A BOLT ON A 980-C LOADER. THE WRENCH SLIPPED AND HIS HAND HIT THE GUARD THAT WAS NEARBY.

1992 · 1 incident

April 16, 1992 TX · Metal/Non-Metal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman POWERED HAULAGE
Wright Materials Inc · Caught in, under or between (Not Elsewhere Classified)

REPAIRING CONVEYOR BELT- WHEN ROLL OF BELT FELL AND INJURED CAUGHT IT. WHENT EH LOADER BUCKET CAME DOWN ON IT.