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: 339 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Imminent-danger orders
ⓘA Section 107(a) order removes miners from an area when an inspector finds an imminent danger. Each order is lifted once the condition is corrected, so this counts orders issued, not orders now in effect.
1
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2019-05-30.
On record since 2019.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
Elk Creek has $10K 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.
$10K
proposed penalties
$10K
current assessed
$10K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
36 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-04-08.
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.
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: 2024-08-02
3
samples
0
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Respirable dust, <.1mg3
Show the individual readings (3)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2024-08-02
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Rotary Bucket Ex. Operator
2023-08-16
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Rotary Bucket Ex. Operator
2021-04-08
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Rotary Bucket Ex. Operator
Area samples (mill and shop air)
Last sampled: 2025-09-10
3
samples
Show the individual readings (3)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Area sampled
2025-09-10
ASBESTOS BULK, ALL FORMS
0
SF ORE TRANSFER
2024-08-02
ASBESTOS BULK, ALL FORMS
0
SF ORE TRANSFER
2024-07-17
ASBESTOS BULK, ALL FORMS
0
SF ROAD
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
0
2025
0
2024
0
2023
1
2022
2
2021
2
2020
2
2019
0
2018
3
2017
2
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Elk Creek sits in Watauga County, North Carolina, where the Census mining category is 0.1% 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.
Watauga County, North Carolina · Population 54,607
0.1%
Mining share of county employment
$51,367
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
0
1
0
2026 Q1
0
0
0
2025 Q4
0
0
0
2025 Q3
0
0
0
2025 Q2
0
0
0
2025 Q1
0
0
0
2024 Q4
0
0
0
2024 Q3
0
5
1
Show 27 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2
0
0
0
2024 Q1
10
0
0
0.0
2023 Q4
0
0
0
2023 Q3
0
1
0
2023 Q2
722
0
0
0.0
2023 Q1
1,128
1
1
886.5
2022 Q4
1,245
0
0
0.0
2022 Q3
1,151
0
0
0.0
2022 Q2
1,392
0
0
0.0
2022 Q1
1,277
2
2
1566.2
2021 Q4
1,155
0
0
0.0
2021 Q3
1,125
0
0
0.0
2021 Q2
460
2
0
4347.8
2021 Q1
761
0
0
0.0
2020 Q4
1,302
0
0
0.0
2020 Q3
1,434
0
0
0.0
2020 Q2
1,040
0
0
0.0
2020 Q1
884
0
0
0.0
2019 Q4
338
0
0
0.0
2019 Q3
0
0
0
2019 Q2
0
1
1
2019 Q1
0
0
0
2018 Q3
372
0
0
0.0
2018 Q2
448
0
0
0.0
2018 Q1
378
0
0
0.0
2017 Q4
272
0
0
0.0
2017 Q3
50
17
4
340000.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
1 on file
2024 · 1 incident
January 25, 2024NC · Metal/Non-Metalstone finishing and sizing personnel, stone/rock cut/polish/saw operator, splitter, cutter, trimmerHANDLING OF MATERIALS