Geary County Sand Plant has $18K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 5 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
1
Total incidents
15
Years on record
1989–2020
Latest incident
Feb 2020
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
87
citations
14
significant & substantial
$18,215
proposed penalties
$14,345
paid to date
79% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $3,870 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: 493 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Geary County Sand Plant has $18K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 5 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.
$18K
proposed penalties
$14K
current assessed
$14K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
86 assessments are final orders; 5 contested dockets.
Of $8K in penalties contested before the Commission, $4K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2024-03-28.
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.
14citations taken to the federal commission · 16% of citations on record
Settled
13 · 93%
Stood as issued
1 · 7%
67%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 3 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
51%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$8K 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 2011-03-01.
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: 2025-04-23
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
12
samples
3
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Respirable dust, <.1mg6
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz3
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz3
Show the individual readings (12)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2025-04-23
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Dredge/Barge Operator
2025-04-23
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2021-04-28
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.13
Front-end Loader Operator
2021-04-28
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Dredge/Barge Operator
2020-03-17
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2017-05-17
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.23
1.95
0.12
Front-end Loader Operator
2017-05-17
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.22
1.26
0.17
Dredge/Barge Operator
2011-04-20
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.29
Front-end Loader Operator
2011-04-20
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2011-04-20
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
1
Dredge/Barge Operator
2005-06-14
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
1.03
2.82
0.37
Dredge/Barge Operator
2005-06-14
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
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.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year
Employees
2026
2
2025
2
2024
2
2023
2
2022
2
2021
2
2020
2
2019
3
2018
2
2017
2
2016
3
2015
3
2014
4
2013
5
2012
5
2011
6
2010
6
2009
4
2008
7
2007
6
2006
5
2005
3
2004
3
2003
5
2002
5
2001
5
2000
5
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Geary County Sand Plant sits in Geary County, Kansas, 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.
Geary County, Kansas · Population 35,895
0.0%
Mining share of county employment
$57,344
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
FRONT END LOADER WAS BEING USED TO SEPARATE BARGE HOSE FROM THE 10" PLASTIC PIPE FEEDING THE CLASSIFIER. THE INSTANT IT WAS PULLED OFF, THE HOSE SNAPPED BACK AND HIT EE. IT BRUISED THE BACK OF HIS LEFT CALF.
1999 · 1 incident
January 22, 1999KS · Metal/Non-Metalbarge/boat/dredge/towbarge/towboat/leach operator, riverman, deck handHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
WHILE CRANKING THE WINCH TO TIGHTEN THE CABLE TO THE BARGE,AND DURING THE PROCESS OF APPLYING THE STOP TO THE WINCH GEAR.THE STOP JUMPED OUT OF PLACE BEFORE EMPLOYEE HAD THE HANDLE REMOVED.THE HANDLE CAME AROUND AND HIT EMPLOYEES LEFT FOREARM.
1990 · 2 incidents
December 14, 1990KS · Metal/Non-Metalbarge/boat/dredge/towbarge/towboat/leach operator, riverman, deck handHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
EMPL HAD CHAIN SHACKLE ATTATCHED TO 50' ROPE FOR WEIGHT TO THROW OUT ONTO BARGE WHEN HE THREW ROPE ACROSS POND HIS ELBOW SNAPPED OUT OF PLACE & BACK IN PLACE.
July 12, 1990KS · Metal/Non-Metalbarge/boat/dredge/towbarge/towboat/leach operator, riverman, deck handHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)