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: 44 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Cottonwood Pit has $2K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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.
$2K
proposed penalties
$2K
current assessed
$2K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
17 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2018-11-14.
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.
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: 2019-05-29, 7 years ago
3
samples
0
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Respirable dust, <.1mg2
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (3)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2019-05-29
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.94
Crusher Oper/Worker
2017-07-07
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2017-07-07
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Rotary Bucket Ex. 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.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year
Employees
2026
8
2025
6
2024
4
2022
4
2021
3
2019
3
2018
2
2017
2
2016
6
2012
10
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Cottonwood Pit sits in Chaves County, New Mexico, where the Census mining category is 2.9% 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.
Chaves County, New Mexico · Population 64,446
2.9%
Mining share of county employment
$52,029
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
5,295
0
0
0.0
2026 Q1
5,512
0
0
0.0
2025 Q3
1,088
0
0
0.0
2024 Q1
2,973
0
0
0.0
2022 Q1
1,888
0
0
0.0
2021 Q4
1,174
0
0
0.0
2019 Q4
321
0
0
0.0
2019 Q3
1,587
0
0
0.0
Show 15 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2019 Q2
1,362
0
0
0.0
2019 Q1
2,336
0
0
0.0
2018 Q4
1,220
3
1
2459.0
2018 Q3
255
0
0
0.0
2018 Q2
3,253
1
0
307.4
2018 Q1
834
1
0
1199.0
2017 Q4
1,014
0
0
0.0
2017 Q3
1,100
2
0
1818.2
2017 Q2
1,383
2
0
1446.1
2017 Q1
1,209
0
0
0.0
2016 Q4
1,450
0
0
0.0
2016 Q3
4,116
0
0
0.0
2016 Q2
3,555
0
0
0.0
2016 Q1
2,538
7
2
2758.1
2012 Q2
3,664
1
1
272.9
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
3 on file
2025 · 1 incident
October 2, 2025NM · Metal/Non-Metaloutside foreman, leadmanELECTRICAL
EE was working in an electrical panel while setting up a new crushing facility. The breaker below the one EE was working on blew up and burnt EE's hand. The manager of the facility was nearby and took EE to the hospital.
2019 · 1 incident
August 24, 2019NM · Metal/Non-Metalmine manager, mine foreman, mine ownerHANDLING OF MATERIALS
United Materials, LLP · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
The employee was helping to change out a belt on the overhead conveyor. As EE was holding the shaft, it slipped out of EE's hand pinching the right hand between the frame and the shaft. The 4th finger on EE's right hand was smashed and had a laceration from the impact.
2016 · 1 incident
February 24, 2016NM · Metal/Non-Metaloutside foreman, leadmanMACHINERY
United Materials, LLP · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
After lock out tag out of the equipment, the employee climbed to an area to be able to reach the rock that had the machine jammed. Upon releasing the rock, the rotor rolled toward the employee catching right foot forcing toes toward calf.