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: 108 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Democrat Mine has $600 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.
$600
proposed penalties
$600
current assessed
$600
paid to date
$0
outstanding
6 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $200 in penalties contested before the Commission, $200 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2012-10-10.
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.
2citations taken to the federal commission · 33% of citations on record
Settled
2 · 100%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 2 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$200 proposed, $200 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 A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record.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 2012-05-08.
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.
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: 2011-11-30, 14 years ago
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
1
samples
1
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Lead, inorganic dust1
Show the individual readings (1)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2011-11-30
Lead, inorganic dust
0.85
150
0.01
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.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year
Employees
2014
0
2013
0
2012
3
2011
5
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Democrat Mine sits in Lemhi County, Idaho, where the Census mining category is 0.8% 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.
Lemhi County, Idaho · Population 8,166
0.8%
Mining share of county employment
$52,057
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 Q4
0
0
0
2014 Q3
0
0
0
2014 Q2
0
0
0
2013 Q4
0
0
0
2013 Q3
0
0
0
2013 Q2
0
0
0
2013 Q1
0
0
0
2012 Q4
0
1
0
Show 6 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2012 Q3
694
0
0
0.0
2012 Q2
1,630
0
0
0.0
2012 Q1
1,356
0
0
0.0
2011 Q4
2,097
5
0
2384.4
2011 Q3
2,112
0
0
0.0
2011 Q2
2,100
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
2 on file
2011 · 2 incidents
November 14, 2011ID · Metal/Non-Metalledgeman/hand, quarry manPOISONING (TOXIC MATERIALS)
Democrat Resources LLC · Absorption of radiations, caustics, toxic and noxious substances
EE has been diagnosed with elevated lead blood levels (lead poisoning) He has been working with ore that contains silver, lead, gold and zinc. Work includes drilling and blasting and removal of the ore and waste while following a small exploration vein underground. The extent of his illness and impairment is not known at this time. In retrospect, symptoms began in Oct 2011.
EE burned old blasting caps and other refuse on the waste dump on the surface, away from the portal and buildings. He used diesel soaked paper towels to ignite the fire. Upon ignition an explosion occurred which caused lacerations and burns.