Mining Incidents

Colorado Quartz: 43 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Colorado Quartz Gold Corp · Underground
Controlled by Dave C Varabioff
MIDPINES, Mariposa County, CA  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 0403828

Colorado Quartz has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $286 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
4
Years on record
1989–1999
Latest incident
Sep 1999
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
43
citations
11
significant & substantial
$5,027
proposed penalties
$4,741
paid to date
94% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $286 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
16
inspections on record
297
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: 297 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Colorado Quartz has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $286 outstanding across 0 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.
$5K
proposed penalties
$5K
current assessed
$5K
paid to date
$286
outstanding
43 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2023-03-16.
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.
25.6%
significant & substantial
4.7%
high negligence or reckless
25.6%
reasonably likely or greater
44.2%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 4.7% low, 90.7% moderate, 4.7% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, 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: 2012-03-13, 14 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
2012-03-13 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Drill Oper., Jackleg/Stoper
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. Colorado Minerals Unlimited 1950 to 1982
  2. Western States Mining Company Inc 1982 to 1988
  3. Colorado Quartz Gold Corp 1988 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2014 4
2013 4
2012 2
2011 2
2010 2
2009 2
2001 2
2000 3
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Colorado Quartz sits in Mariposa County, California, where the Census mining category is 0.0% 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.
Mariposa County, California · Population 17,060
0.0%
Mining share of county employment
$65,378
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
2014 Q1 1,024 2 0 1953.1
2013 Q2 134 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 512 4 0 7812.5
2012 Q4 0 0 0
2012 Q3 0 0 0
2012 Q2 365 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 720 1 0 1388.9
2011 Q4 0 0 0
Show 16 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2011 Q3 0 0 0
2011 Q2 325 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 580 1 0 1724.1
2010 Q4 0 0 0
2010 Q3 0 0 0
2010 Q2 360 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 1,056 1 0 947.0
2009 Q3 0 0 0
2009 Q2 584 2 1 3424.7
2009 Q1 360 0 0 0.0
2001 Q2 0 0 0
2001 Q1 1,224 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 1,054 6 1 5692.6
2000 Q3 1,387 3 2 2162.9
2000 Q2 1,210 0 0 0.0
2000 Q1 1,245 6 3 4819.3
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

4 on file

1999 · 1 incident

September 2, 1999 CA · Metal/Non-Metal ledgeman/hand, quarry man HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Colorado Quartz Gold Corp · Struck by falling object

A PIECE OF WOOD BLOCKING (6" X 6" X 12"0 DISLODGED FROM NEAR I-BEAM AND FELL APPROX 30' DOWN SHAFT AND HIT HIS HAND WHICH WAS RESTING ON METAL MUCK CHUTE. RESULTED IN DEEP CUT ON PALM OF HAND BETWEEN THUMB AND FOREFINGER. HAD TO BE STITCHED.

1989 · 3 incidents