Mining Incidents

Cinder Butte: 52 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Mountain States Materials Inc · Surface
DESCHUTES, Deschutes County, OR  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 3503518

Cinder Butte has $6K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 3 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
0
Years on record
Latest incident
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2002
52
citations
5
significant & substantial
$6,187
proposed penalties
$6,127
paid to date
99% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $60 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
59
inspections on record
663
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: 663 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Cinder Butte has $6K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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.
$6K
proposed penalties
$6K
current assessed
$6K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
49 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $1K in penalties contested before the Commission, $694 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-12-11.
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.
9.6%
significant & substantial
9.6%
high negligence or reckless
9.6%
reasonably likely or greater
55.8%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 34.6% low, 55.8% moderate, 9.6% 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.
9 citations taken to the federal commission · 17% of citations on record
  • Settled 8 · 89%
  • Vacated or withdrawn 1 · 11%
0%
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 1 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
39%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$1K proposed, $694 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 2018-08-07.
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
WEST 2018-0515 Settlement Miller 2018 $640 → $354
WEST 2008-386 Settlement Manning 2008 $400 → $240
WEST 2011-489M Settlement Barbour 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: 2024-04-25
10
samples
0
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz6
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg4
Show the individual readings (10)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2024-04-25 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2024-04-25 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2020-08-18 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.16 Backhoe Operator
2020-08-18 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.15 Front-end Loader Operator
2014-05-21 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.25 Front-end Loader Operator
2009-11-04 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.42 Front-end Loader Operator
2004-06-23 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.28 Bulldozer Operator
2004-06-23 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.26 Front-end Loader Operator
2003-04-02 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Supervisor, Co. Official
2003-04-02 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. Cinder Butte Rock Products 2001 to 2026
  2. Mountain States Materials Inc 2026 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 1
2025 2
2024 2
2023 2
2022 2
2021 2
2020 3
2019 2
2018 2
2017 2
2016 2
2015 2
2014 2
2013 1
2012 2
2011 2
2010 1
2009 1
2008 2
2007 2
2006 3
2005 2
2004 2
2003 2
2002 2
2001 1
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Cinder Butte sits in Deschutes County, Oregon, 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.
Deschutes County, Oregon · Population 203,026
0.1%
Mining share of county employment
$87,640
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 59 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 482 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 954 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 1,133 2 0 1765.2
2025 Q1 1,093 1 0 914.9
2024 Q4 1,113 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 1,195 0 0 0.0
2024 Q2 1,283 0 0 0.0
Show 91 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q1 1,686 0 0 0.0
2023 Q4 926 1 0 1079.9
2023 Q3 967 0 0 0.0
2023 Q2 1,188 1 0 841.8
2023 Q1 826 3 0 3632.0
2022 Q4 1,049 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 801 0 0 0.0
2022 Q2 1,040 0 0 0.0
2022 Q1 884 2 0 2262.4
2021 Q4 976 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 998 0 0 0.0
2021 Q2 1,082 0 0 0.0
2021 Q1 959 0 0 0.0
2020 Q4 989 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 1,288 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 1,538 1 0 650.2
2020 Q1 1,524 0 0 0.0
2019 Q4 1,260 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 1,074 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 1,163 0 0 0.0
2019 Q1 979 0 0 0.0
2018 Q4 758 1 0 1319.3
2018 Q3 901 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 994 3 0 3018.1
2018 Q1 1,006 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 915 4 1 4371.6
2017 Q3 562 1 0 1779.4
2017 Q2 631 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 785 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 609 1 0 1642.0
2016 Q3 583 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 992 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 991 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 581 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 667 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 651 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 817 3 1 3672.0
2014 Q4 746 4 0 5361.9
2014 Q3 1,010 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 667 1 0 1499.3
2014 Q1 520 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 500 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 519 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 518 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 634 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 634 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 610 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 699 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 632 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 621 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 832 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 974 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 456 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 35 1 0 28571.4
2010 Q3 497 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 444 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 480 0 0 0.0
2009 Q4 580 1 0 1724.1
2009 Q3 584 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 510 0 0 0.0
2009 Q1 667 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 972 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 1,038 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 1,301 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 990 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 1,121 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 1,088 3 0 2757.4
2007 Q2 1,067 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 970 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 1,654 1 0 604.6
2006 Q3 1,332 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 1,172 1 1 853.2
2006 Q1 1,512 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 827 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 961 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 646 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 543 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 1,094 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 915 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 943 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 606 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 908 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 1,018 0 0 0.0
2003 Q2 1,012 3 0 2964.4
2003 Q1 1,121 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 1,315 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 1,490 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 646 4 1 6192.0
2001 Q4 648 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 928 0 0 0.0
2001 Q2 915 0 0 0.0

No reportable incidents on file.

MSHA has no recorded reportable accidents for this mine in the current dataset. New reports appear here within a week of being filed.