Mining Incidents

Fischer Excavating Inc: 111 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Freeport, Stephenson County, IL  ·  Intermittent
MSHA Mine ID: 1103059

Fischer Excavating Inc has $17K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
0
Years on record
Latest incident
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
111
citations
27
significant & substantial
$16,796
proposed penalties
$16,328
paid to date
97% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $468 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
46
inspections on record
612
inspection hours
n/a
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: 612 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Fischer Excavating Inc has $17K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 1 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.
$17K
proposed penalties
$16K
current assessed
$16K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
111 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $5K in penalties contested before the Commission, $4K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-03-24.
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.
24.3%
significant & substantial
5.4%
high negligence or reckless
24.3%
reasonably likely or greater
46.8%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 27.0% low, 67.6% moderate, 5.4% high, 0.0% reckless.
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.
7 citations taken to the federal commission · 6% of citations on record
  • Settled 7 · 100%
50%
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%
10%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$5K proposed, $4K 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 2011-01-21.
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.
Docket Decision Judge Year Proposed / upheld
LAKE 2011-323M Settlement Lewis 2012 $5K → $4K
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), 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: 2017-05-03, 9 years ago
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
7
samples
3
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg4
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz3
Show the individual readings (7)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2017-05-03 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2017-05-03 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2012-08-08 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2012-08-08 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2003-09-03 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.91 2.26 0.40 Front-end Loader Operator
2003-09-03 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 1.04 2.36 0.44 Front-end Loader Operator
2003-09-03 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.73 2.13 0.34 Ground Control/Timberman
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.
Ownership history
  1. Fischer Excavating Inc 2000 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 3
2025 3
2024 3
2023 3
2022 3
2021 4
2020 4
2019 4
2018 3
2017 3
2016 4
2015 4
2014 3
2013 3
2012 3
2011 3
2010 4
2009 5
2008 5
2007 4
2006 4
2005 4
2004 3
2003 2
2002 4
2001 3
2000 3
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Fischer Excavating Inc sits in Stephenson County, Illinois, where the Census mining category is 0.0% 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.
Stephenson County, Illinois · Population 44,042
0.0%
Mining share of county employment
$61,943
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 1,149 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 500 3 0 6000.0
2025 Q4 964 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 876 3 0 3424.7
2025 Q2 606 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 502 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 798 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 802 0 0 0.0
Show 95 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 1,050 0 0 0.0
2024 Q1 779 3 0 3851.1
2023 Q4 729 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 1,088 3 1 2757.4
2023 Q2 970 0 0 0.0
2023 Q1 209 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 768 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 1,325 0 0 0.0
2022 Q2 1,263 1 0 791.8
2022 Q1 420 0 0 0.0
2021 Q4 917 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 1,721 1 0 581.1
2021 Q2 1,298 3 1 2311.2
2021 Q1 1,040 0 0 0.0
2020 Q4 1,294 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 1,116 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 1,697 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 1,669 5 0 2995.8
2019 Q4 1,497 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 1,698 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 1,532 4 2 2611.0
2019 Q1 846 1 0 1182.0
2018 Q4 675 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 1,221 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 1,091 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 393 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 946 1 0 1057.1
2017 Q3 990 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 960 4 1 4166.7
2017 Q1 557 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 886 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 1,426 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 983 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 151 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 1,274 11 0 8634.2
2015 Q3 1,365 1 1 732.6
2015 Q2 662 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 606 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 742 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 502 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 597 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 760 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 507 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 1 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 852 3 1 3521.1
2012 Q3 941 2 0 2125.4
2012 Q2 499 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 1 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 289 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 987 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 513 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 1 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 1,109 7 1 6312.0
2010 Q3 2,334 2 0 856.9
2010 Q2 1,993 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 73 0 0 0.0
2009 Q4 1,738 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 4,850 12 8 2474.2
2009 Q2 2,152 0 0 0.0
2009 Q1 439 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 1,172 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 2,315 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 1,650 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 2,279 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 1,957 5 0 2554.9
2007 Q3 2,041 12 7 5879.5
2007 Q2 1,943 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 1,166 1 0 857.6
2006 Q4 1,291 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 1,651 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 1,471 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 1,081 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 690 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 1,404 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 871 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 661 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 1,175 8 2 6808.5
2004 Q3 1,029 3 1 2915.5
2004 Q2 1,129 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 721 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 819 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 960 2 0 2083.3
2003 Q2 510 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 388 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 1,312 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 366 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 1,221 1 0 819.0
2002 Q1 917 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 218 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 518 0 0 0.0
2001 Q2 575 0 0 0.0
2001 Q1 639 6 0 9389.7
2000 Q4 749 0 0 0.0
2000 Q3 1,110 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 1,016 3 1 2952.8

No reportable incidents on file.

MSHA has no recorded reportable accidents for this mine in the current dataset. New reports appear here within a week of being filed.