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: 146 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Estrella has $2K in proposed MSHA penalties and $5 outstanding across 13 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
$5
outstanding
28 assessments are final orders; 13 contested dockets.
Of $3K in penalties contested before the Commission, $2K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2007-01-31.
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.
23citations taken to the federal commission · 79% of citations on record
Settled
16 · 70%
Stood as issued
6 · 26%
Vacated or withdrawn
1 · 4%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 4 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
21%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$2K proposed, $2K 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 A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record.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 2007-05-16.
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: 2004-07-22, 22 years ago
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
4
samples
3
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz3
Respirable dust, <.1mg1
Show the individual readings (4)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2004-07-22
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Truck Driver
2004-07-22
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.27
0.74
0.36
Truck Driver
2004-07-22
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.15
0.68
0.22
Crusher Oper/Worker
2004-07-22
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.27
1.55
0.17
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.
Estrella recorded 18.77 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2005.
Injury rate, 2005
ⓘ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.
18.77
total case rate
18.77
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US metal and nonmetal mining average was 3.76 and the all-US-mining average was 4.21 cases per 100 workers.
In Arizona, metal and nonmetal mining averaged 3.92 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.
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
2008
0
2007
0
2006
8
2005
9
2004
10
2003
6
2002
4
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Estrella sits in Maricopa County, Arizona, where the Census mining category is 0.2% 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.
Maricopa County, Arizona · Population 4,491,987
0.2%
Mining share of county employment
$85,518
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
2008 Q1
0
0
0
2007 Q4
0
0
0
2007 Q3
0
0
0
2007 Q2
0
0
0
2007 Q1
0
2
0
2006 Q4
2,945
0
0
0.0
2006 Q3
4,343
0
0
0.0
2006 Q2
5,010
1
0
199.6
Show 15 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2006 Q1
7,041
4
1
568.1
2005 Q4
6,278
0
0
0.0
2005 Q3
5,116
0
0
0.0
2005 Q2
5,379
0
0
0.0
2005 Q1
4,542
0
0
0.0
2004 Q4
4,232
6
2
1417.8
2004 Q3
4,076
2
0
490.7
2004 Q2
4,104
6
1
1462.0
2004 Q1
3,715
0
0
0.0
2003 Q4
4,071
0
0
0.0
2003 Q3
2,996
0
0
0.0
2003 Q2
2,316
3
2
1295.3
2003 Q1
1,657
5
1
3017.5
2002 Q4
1,589
0
0
0.0
2002 Q3
1,764
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
7 on file
2005 · 2 incidents
April 28, 2005AZ · Metal/Non-Metalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorSTEPPING OR KNEELING ON OBJECT
WHILE THE EE WAS HITTING A STEEL BLOW BAR WITH A SLEDGE HAMMER, A PIECE OF THE BLOW BAR FLAKED OFF AND HIT EE IN THE NECK, CUTTING HIM.
2004 · 3 incidents
November 19, 2004AZ · Metal/Non-Metalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Kilauea Crushers Inc · Inhalation of radiations, caustics, toxic and noxious substances
Fire extingisher mount came loose, knocking out safety pin allowing extingisher to release contents. Operator couldn't get out of loader fast enough and inhaled some of the contents.