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.
184 citations across 1,323 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Damron Sand has $64K 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.
$64K
proposed penalties
$54K
current assessed
$54K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
180 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $25K in penalties contested before the Commission, $15K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-06-08.
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.
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.
6citations taken to the federal commission · 3% of citations on record
Settled
3 · 50%
Stood as issued
3 · 50%
100%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 6 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
40%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$25K proposed, $15K 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 A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record.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 2021-03-16.
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.
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: 2025-01-23
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
46
samples
7
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Respirable dust, <.1mg25
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz10
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz9
Cristobalite, respirable2
Show the individual readings (46)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2025-01-23
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.14
Truck Driver
2025-01-23
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.15
Front-end Loader Operator
2025-01-23
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.19
Truck Driver
2025-01-23
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2019-09-11
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2019-09-11
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2019-09-11
Cristobalite, respirable
0.16
Front-end Loader Operator
2019-09-11
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.18
Front-end Loader Operator
2019-09-11
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.13
Truck Driver
2019-09-11
Cristobalite, respirable
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2019-09-11
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.16
Front-end Loader Operator
2017-04-12
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.12
Front-end Loader Operator
2017-04-12
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Supervisor, Co. Official
2017-04-12
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2017-04-12
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2017-04-12
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.35
1.11
0.32
Truck Driver
2016-06-21
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Washer Operator
2016-06-21
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.15
Washer Operator
2016-06-21
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Mechanic
2016-06-21
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2016-06-21
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.14
Washer Operator
2011-04-13
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2011-04-13
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.14
1.42
0.10
Front-end Loader Operator
2011-04-13
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.33
1.88
0.18
Front-end Loader Operator
2011-04-13
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.15
1.21
0.12
Drill Operator, Rotary
2009-10-14
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2009-10-14
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.15
1.19
0.13
Lab Technician
2009-10-14
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2009-10-14
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Truck Driver
2008-04-16
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.14
1.42
0.10
Truck Driver
2008-04-16
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2008-04-16
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.18
Front-end Loader Operator
2004-07-07
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2004-07-07
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Truck Driver
2004-07-07
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Utility Man
2004-07-07
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.13
Front-end Loader Operator
2003-02-26
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2003-02-26
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2003-02-26
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.18
1.88
0.10
Mechanic
2003-02-26
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Truck Driver
2003-02-26
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2002-08-07
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2002-08-07
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.37
Mechanic
2002-08-07
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2002-08-07
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2002-08-07
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.
Damron Sand 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 *
3.32
0.00
0.000
2023 *
5.55
2.77
0.000
2022 *
3.31
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 *
9.09
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.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year
Employees
2026
24
2025
22
2024
27
2023
32
2022
30
2021
27
2020
22
2019
21
2018
18
2017
19
2016
18
2015
16
2014
14
2013
13
2012
11
2011
11
2010
13
2009
13
2008
14
2007
18
2006
15
2005
19
2004
17
2003
14
2002
13
2001
15
2000
14
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Damron Sand sits in Lubbock County, Texas, where the Census mining category is 1.3% 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.
Lubbock County, Texas · Population 314,633
1.3%
Mining share of county employment
$63,367
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
14,111
5
3
354.3
2026 Q1
12,363
4
0
323.5
2025 Q4
3,107
0
0
0.0
2025 Q3
13,269
0
0
0.0
2025 Q2
13,865
7
0
504.9
2025 Q1
4,628
9
0
1944.7
2024 Q4
13,221
0
0
0.0
2024 Q3
13,638
4
2
293.3
Show 96 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2
14,934
0
0
0.0
2024 Q1
18,411
0
0
0.0
2023 Q4
18,363
4
0
217.8
2023 Q3
18,985
6
0
316.0
2023 Q2
18,112
0
0
0.0
2023 Q1
16,657
0
0
0.0
2022 Q4
16,112
4
0
248.3
2022 Q3
15,284
0
0
0.0
2022 Q2
14,873
3
0
201.7
2022 Q1
14,082
0
0
0.0
2021 Q4
17,633
3
0
170.1
2021 Q3
23,721
4
0
168.6
2021 Q2
15,268
0
0
0.0
2021 Q1
12,828
1
0
78.0
2020 Q4
14,197
11
3
774.8
2020 Q3
11,065
0
0
0.0
2020 Q2
12,078
4
0
331.2
2020 Q1
9,948
5
0
502.6
2019 Q4
13,786
0
0
0.0
2019 Q3
10,817
3
1
277.3
2019 Q2
12,277
0
0
0.0
2019 Q1
12,938
3
0
231.9
2018 Q4
10,407
0
0
0.0
2018 Q3
11,754
0
0
0.0
2018 Q2
11,933
3
1
251.4
2018 Q1
9,921
0
0
0.0
2017 Q4
13,092
1
1
76.4
2017 Q3
10,171
0
0
0.0
2017 Q2
10,727
2
1
186.4
2017 Q1
14,565
0
0
0.0
2016 Q4
9,759
3
1
307.4
2016 Q3
8,701
0
0
0.0
2016 Q2
11,764
9
3
765.0
2016 Q1
11,764
5
2
425.0
2015 Q4
12,893
0
0
0.0
2015 Q3
11,407
5
1
438.3
2015 Q2
7,842
0
0
0.0
2015 Q1
8,422
2
1
237.5
2014 Q4
6,585
0
0
0.0
2014 Q3
10,395
0
0
0.0
2014 Q1
8,335
0
0
0.0
2013 Q4
8,927
4
0
448.1
2013 Q3
8,199
2
0
243.9
2013 Q2
8,921
3
1
336.3
2013 Q1
7,580
0
0
0.0
2012 Q4
7,904
4
1
506.1
2012 Q3
7,868
0
0
0.0
2012 Q2
7,184
3
0
417.6
2012 Q1
7,572
0
0
0.0
2011 Q4
8,047
2
0
248.5
2011 Q3
8,253
0
0
0.0
2011 Q2
5,875
3
1
510.6
2011 Q1
7,966
0
0
0.0
2010 Q4
8,746
2
0
228.7
2010 Q3
8,996
0
0
0.0
2010 Q2
8,457
3
2
354.7
2010 Q1
7,590
0
0
0.0
2009 Q4
8,342
2
1
239.8
2009 Q3
8,592
0
0
0.0
2009 Q2
8,540
4
1
468.4
2009 Q1
8,933
0
0
0.0
2008 Q4
9,235
7
0
758.0
2008 Q3
8,850
0
0
0.0
2008 Q2
9,339
4
0
428.3
2008 Q1
9,206
0
0
0.0
2007 Q4
10,116
0
0
0.0
2007 Q3
7,490
0
0
0.0
2007 Q2
8,298
1
0
120.5
2007 Q1
9,157
0
0
0.0
2006 Q4
8,403
1
0
119.0
2006 Q3
8,332
0
0
0.0
2006 Q2
10,297
0
0
0.0
2006 Q1
9,316
0
0
0.0
2005 Q4
9,521
1
0
105.0
2005 Q3
9,827
0
0
0.0
2005 Q2
8,834
0
0
0.0
2005 Q1
7,666
1
0
130.4
2004 Q3
9,168
0
0
0.0
2004 Q2
9,376
0
0
0.0
2004 Q1
9,312
0
0
0.0
2003 Q4
9,229
0
0
0.0
2003 Q3
10,611
1
0
94.2
2003 Q2
9,560
0
0
0.0
2003 Q1
8,227
4
0
486.2
2002 Q4
9,584
0
0
0.0
2002 Q3
7,336
3
0
408.9
2002 Q2
9,436
0
0
0.0
2002 Q1
7,444
3
1
403.0
2001 Q4
9,652
0
0
0.0
2001 Q3
11,056
0
0
0.0
2001 Q2
10,277
0
0
0.0
2001 Q1
8,326
4
1
480.4
2000 Q4
10,198
0
0
0.0
2000 Q3
10,365
0
0
0.0
2000 Q2
10,705
0
0
0.0
2000 Q1
8,318
3
0
360.7
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
19 on file
2024 · 1 incident
November 21, 2024TX · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Employee greasing the plant. When climbing down, EE missed a step & fell, striking the back of EE's leg on an I-beam, causing a bruise. EE declined medical attention on the same day. On 12/02/24, EE requested medical evaluation due to not getting better. Doctor examined EE & placed EE on restricted duty on 12/02/24. Became reportable on 12/02/24.
2023 · 2 incidents
October 28, 2023TX · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Employee was working on a belt at the plant. EE removed the guard, set the guard on the ground behind EE, and continued working. Later, EE turned around to get the replacement roller and tripped over the guard. EE caught self with EE's hands, got up, and continued working. Later, EE began experiencing pain in EE's left shoulder. EE reported the injury on EE's next work day.
Employee removing fins from log washer. Bolts were torched off fins. Fins were stuck, so employee tapped fin with hammer. Within 3 taps of hammer, employee noticed blood dripping onto fin. Employee looked & saw arm bleeding. Metal splinter had broken off fin & entered employee's arm. Employee exited log washer & notified supervisor. Employee taken to ER, where splinter was removed.
2022 · 3 incidents
May 3, 2022TX · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerMACHINERY
PERSONAL ILLNESS. While a mine employee was dumping load of sand from mine haul truck, EE started coughing. After dumping, EE was still coughing, so EE pulled over and set brakes. EE felt light-headed and had difficulty breathing. EE states EE passed out, but unsure for how long. When EE regained consciousness, EE called supervisor. The supervisor called the Safety Dept.
The employee experienced a medical incident requiring medical attention and was admitted to the hospital. At this time no concrete diagnosis has been determined but may be related to stress and/or malnutrition. Employee lost 41 lbs in 5 weeks.
2018 · 2 incidents
April 2, 2018TX · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerMACHINERY
Employee was cutting a bolt on some piping with a grinder and the grinder got caught in the bolt which caused it to jerk when ee reacted. The employee ended up with three lacerations on the inner part of knee.
February 13, 2018TX · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Miner was climbing down from pit truck access ladder. Miner's foot slipped from rung of ladder, causing ee to fall rearward off ladder. Contributing conditions noted; miner's boots were caked with fresh mud, boot soles were worn smooth, the lower two rungs were packed full of mud and the truck was missing the mud flap that prevented mud being thrown onto the ladder.
2015 · 2 incidents
November 20, 2015TX · Metal/Non-Metalhaul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driverSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Miner was assisting with the movement of a trailer mounted, diesel-powered water pump, which was tail-heavy. The miner placed his bodyweight on the trailer tongue to lower the hitch to the pickup. The trailer shifted, causing the miner to be tossed from the trailer tongue. The miner fell to the ground, resulting in a strained right shoulder.
August 3, 2015TX · Metal/Non-Metallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanELECTRICAL
A Miner was shocked after opening an electrical fuse box and while using a screwdriver to tighten a lug screw, after a feeder belt stopped working. The Miner was administered first-aid at the site and transported by EMS to the near-by hospital. Miner was treated and released the same day.
1998 · 1 incident
April 8, 1998TX · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
January 31, 1990TX · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS