FCI Sand Operations LLC has $293K in proposed MSHA penalties and $235K outstanding across 4 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
9
Years on record
2019–2025
Latest incident
Nov 2025
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2019
203
citations
70
significant & substantial
$292,538
proposed penalties
$50,517
paid to date
17% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $242,021 gap.
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: 652 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: 2023-09-11.
On record since 2023.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
FCI Sand Operations LLC has $293K in proposed MSHA penalties and $235K outstanding across 4 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.
$293K
proposed penalties
$285K
current assessed
$51K
paid to date
$235K
outstanding
180 assessments are final orders; 4 contested dockets.
Of $55K in penalties contested before the Commission, $43K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-06-02.
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.
58citations taken to the federal commission · 29% of citations on record
Settled
54 · 93%
Vacated or withdrawn
4 · 7%
94%
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 17 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
22%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$55K proposed, $43K 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 2024-05-09.
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: 2026-08-20
14%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
12
samples
7
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz51 over
Respirable dust, <.1mg5
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz2
Show the individual readings (12)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2025-04-30
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.29
0.25
1.16
Utility Man
2026-08-20
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Utility Man
2026-08-20
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Dry Screen Plant Operator
2026-08-20
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Utility Man
2025-08-07
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.15
0.28
0.54
Front-end Loader Operator
2025-08-07
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2025-04-30
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Truck Driver
2025-04-30
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.15
0.25
0.60
Scale Man
2025-04-30
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.15
0.3
0.50
Kiln/Dryer Operator
2023-09-12
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz
2.45
10
0.25
Laborer, Bullgang
2023-09-12
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.21
0.36
0.58
Front-end Loader Operator
2023-09-12
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz
2.13
10
0.21
Laborer, Bullgang
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.
FCI Sand Operations LLC recorded 4.59 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.
4.59
total case rate
3.06
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above 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.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2025
4.59
3.06
0.000
2024
6.22
0.00
0.000
2023 *
0.00
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
72
2025
58
2024
54
2023
54
2022
20
2019
10
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
FCI Sand Operations LLC sits in Atascosa County, Texas, where the Census mining category is 7.1% 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.
Atascosa County, Texas · Population 50,058
7.1%
Mining share of county employment
$69,413
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
41,461
3
0
72.4
2026 Q1
44,711
1
0
22.4
2025 Q4
38,824
0
0
0.0
2025 Q3
36,997
0
0
0.0
2025 Q2
27,730
13
6
468.8
2025 Q1
27,274
4
0
146.7
2024 Q4
29,915
0
0
0.0
2024 Q3
31,997
0
0
0.0
Show 11 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2
34,988
0
0
0.0
2024 Q1
31,679
7
1
221.0
2023 Q4
31,608
3
0
94.9
2023 Q3
31,057
51
16
1642.1
2023 Q2
30,013
3
0
100.0
2023 Q1
6,751
0
0
0.0
2022 Q4
18,120
11
7
607.1
2022 Q2
11,700
1
0
85.5
2022 Q1
3,715
17
3
4576.0
2019 Q3
4,675
0
0
0.0
2019 Q2
4,225
9
3
2130.2
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
9 on file
2025 · 3 incidents
November 12, 2025TX · Metal/Non-Metalassistant mine foreman, assistant mine managerSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
The EE was inspecting the wet plant hopper belt, when they lost balance and placed left hand on the belt. This resulted in their hand being caught between the belt and hopper frame. The injury sustained was a laceration to the left palm and contusion to the upper side of their hand.
The EE attempted to climb the stairs to the work platform by the screens. The EE slipped and fell approximately 4' and fractured EE's medial malleolus of the left ankle.
July 15, 2025TX · Metal/Non-Metaldry screening plant operator, screen house operatorSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
The EE was attempting to troubleshoot the dry plant generator when slipped and fell and struck their head. This resulted in a 1" laceration, which needed 2 staples to close the wound.
2024 · 4 incidents
August 20, 2024TX · Metal/Non-Metalmine manager, mine foreman, mine ownerHANDLING OF MATERIALS
The EE was installing an auger when a section of the auger slipped from EE's right hand and struck EE's left middle finger causing a laceration. The EE was wearing leather gloves while performing the duties. The laceration required 3 stitches to close the wound.
June 11, 2024TX · Metal/Non-Metaldryer operator, kiln operator, dry plant operator, fluid operator, bed dryer operatorHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
The employee was installing bags in the baghouse, when they felt a foreign body enter their right eye. EE was taken to the local hospital to remove the object. The EE was wearing safety glasses at the time of the incident.
March 14, 2024TX · Metal/Non-Metaldry screening plant operator, screen house operatorHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
While working at the dry plant baghouse, the EE was attempting to close the bags housing with a sledge hammer. The EE missed the container and struck right hand ring finger against the enclosure and fractured the finger.
Employee checking ID fan relay inside control room cabinet, received a shock. Complained of right hand tightness. Declined to go to doctor. July 6 taken to doctor after reporting tightness/numbness in both arms and hands. Given anti-inflammatory meds. Employee reports no longer experiencing discomfort.