Mining Incidents

Contact Concentrator: 83 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Controlled by Timothy Antonioli
Phillipsburg, Granite County, MT  ·  Intermittent
MSHA Mine ID: 2401648

Contact Concentrator has $27K 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
4
Years on record
1990–2026
Latest incident
Jul 2026
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2006
83
citations
25
significant & substantial
$27,493
proposed penalties
$22,579
paid to date
82% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $4,914 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2006
21
inspections on record
305
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: 305 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Contact Concentrator has $27K 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.
$27K
proposed penalties
$23K
current assessed
$23K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
83 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $12K in penalties contested before the Commission, $7K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2015-07-28.
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.
30.1%
significant & substantial
3.6%
high negligence or reckless
30.1%
reasonably likely or greater
19.3%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 7.2% low, 89.2% moderate, 3.6% 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.
17 citations taken to the federal commission · 20% of citations on record
  • Settled 17 · 100%
73%
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 11 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
40%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$12K proposed, $7K 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 2013-05-08.
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 2013-774M Settlement Lesnick 2013 $9K → $4K
WEST 2010-1565M Settlement Lesnick 2011 $2K → $2K
WEST 2011-379M Settlement Lesnick 2011 $2K → $2K
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: 2012-08-22, 14 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
2012-08-22 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Flotation/Concentrator Oper.
2012-08-22 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Pipe Fitter/Millright/Plumber
2012-08-22 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Ball Mill 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.

Contact Concentrator recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2013.

Injury rate, 2013
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 2.46 and the all-US-mining average was 2.99 cases per 100 workers.
In Montana, metal and nonmetal mining averaged 3.25 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
2013 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2012 * 7.30 0.00 0.000
2011 * 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. Contact Mining Company 1981 to present
  2. Drumlummon Gold Corp 2010 to 2013
  3. Strategic Minerals 2013 to 2014
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 7
2025 6
2015 4
2014 7
2013 11
2012 15
2011 12
2010 10
2009 0
2008 2
2007 1
2006 3
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Contact Concentrator sits in Granite County, Montana, where the Census mining category is 5.7% 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.
Granite County, Montana · Population 3,419
5.7%
Mining share of county employment
$54,646
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 2,460 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 264 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 1,099 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 440 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 419 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 2,293 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 3,015 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 3,208 0 0 0.0
Show 28 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2014 Q1 6,908 12 3 1737.1
2013 Q4 8,002 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 2,405 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 6,134 10 3 1630.3
2013 Q1 7,287 12 1 1646.8
2012 Q4 6,315 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 7,842 12 6 1530.2
2012 Q2 8,116 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 5,130 5 2 974.7
2011 Q4 5,517 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 7,753 8 0 1031.9
2011 Q2 6,315 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 1,263 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 6,297 0 0 0.0
2010 Q3 8,505 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 973 19 9 19527.2
2010 Q1 0 0 0
2009 Q3 0 0 0
2009 Q2 0 0 0
2009 Q1 0 0 0
2008 Q4 0 0 0
2008 Q3 28 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 442 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 225 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 0 0 0
2006 Q4 0 2 0
2006 Q3 1,143 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 1,976 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

4 on file

2026 · 1 incident

July 8, 2026 MT · Metal/Non-Metal crusher attendant/operator, pan feeder operator/worker HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Contact Mining Company · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

AFTER CUTTING A PIECE OF STEEL FROM THE SHORTHEAD CRUSHER, EMPLOYEE WAS HELPING TO CLOSE THE METAL DOOR UNDER THE CRUSHER WHEN EE FELT A PAIN IN EE'S BACK. EE RETURNED TO WORK THE NEXT DAY, THEN TOOK A DAY OFF TO REST AND THEN RETURNED TO WORK. ON 07/17/2026 EE REPORTED CONTINUED PAIN IN EE'S BACK.

2014 · 1 incident

April 9, 2014 MT · Metal/Non-Metal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Strategic Minerals · Fall to the walkway or working surface

Mechanic was hosing out a small overflow pond. He slipped and fell. reportedly sliding down the incline of the lined pond with an approximate 40 degree slope 8 feet to the bottom of the empty pond.

2012 · 1 incident

February 1, 2012 MT · Metal/Non-Metal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Drumlummon Gold Corp · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was holding a 6" tailings decant water line that had burst at a splice, and was trying to direct the water towards a small water impoundment. The water line was to heavy for the employee and he dropped the hose. When he did so the banding from the splice cut his right hand ring finger.

1990 · 1 incident

March 19, 1990 MT · Metal/Non-Metal warehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operator HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Contact Mining Company · Struck by falling object

FINES ORE CHUTE IN CRUSHER BECAME PLUGGED. EMPL WAS UNPLUGGING CHUTE THRU 2'X2' & BOUNCED OUT ONTO EMPL SENT HIM TO HOSPITAL FOR COUPLE STITCHES IN LOWER LIP.