Mining Incidents

Gold King Mine: 1 recorded fatality Metal/Non-Metal

Gold King Mines Corp · Underground
San Juan County, CO  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 0504057

MSHA record for Gold King Mine (mine ID 0504057). Fatalities, non-fatal incidents grouped by year, current operator and controller, and mine context.

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Fatalities
1
Total incidents
2
Years on record
1986–1987
Latest incident
Mar 1987
Ownership history
  1. Gold King Mines Corp 1985 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.

Gold King Mine sits in San Juan County, Colorado, 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.
San Juan County, Colorado · Population 690
0.0%
Mining share of county employment
$73,889
Median household income
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates.

Fatalities at this mine

1 recorded
March 13, 1987 CO · Metal/Non-Metal ledgeman/hand, quarry man Fatality · FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Gold King Mines Corp · Struck by falling object

ROCK FALL OF 100 - 150# STRIKING HIM ON TOP OF HEAD, CAUSING MASSIVE INTERNAL INJURIES

Reportable incidents

1 on file (excluding fatalities above)

1986 · 1 incident

October 15, 1986 CO · Metal/Non-Metal HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Gold King Mines Corp · Struck by falling object

OBSERVING PLACE4ENT OF HIGH VOLTAGE POWERLINE POLES. HANDING WRENCH TO MINER TO BREAK AN IARLINE ON A DRILL USED TO DRILL BLASTHOLE. WRENCH WAS NOT GRASPED BY HIM & IN FALLING TWISTED IN HAND BREAKING THE L3TTLE FINGER BONE IN LEFT HAND.