Mining Incidents

Helena Sand & Gravel-Portable Wash Plant: 33 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Montana Mtls & Cons · Surface
Controlled by CRH PLC
Drummond, Lewis And Clark County, MT  ·  Intermittent
MSHA Mine ID: 2400497

Helena Sand & Gravel-Portable Wash Plant has $5K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 5 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
4
Years on record
2001–2004
Latest incident
Sep 2004
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2001
33
citations
6
significant & substantial
$4,799
proposed penalties
$4,737
paid to date
99% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $62 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2001
32
inspections on record
358
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: 358 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Helena Sand & Gravel-Portable Wash Plant has $5K 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.
$5K
proposed penalties
$5K
current assessed
$5K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
33 assessments are final orders; 5 contested dockets.
Of $1K in penalties contested before the Commission, $634 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2024-09-06.
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.
18.2%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
18.2%
reasonably likely or greater
30.3%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 18.2% low, 81.8% moderate, 0.0% 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.
10 citations taken to the federal commission · 30% of citations on record
  • Settled 6 · 60%
  • Vacated or withdrawn 4 · 40%
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 1 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
44%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$1K proposed, $634 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 2018-12-11.
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
WEST 2009-133M Settlement Paez 2010 $300 → $200
WEST 2019-0112 Settlement Miller 2019 $236 → $118
WEST 2017-0658 Settlement Manning 2018 $232 → $116
WEST 2008-183M Settlement Manning 2008 $200 → $100
WEST 2010-82M Settlement Lesnick 2011 $162 → $100
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: 2019-09-10, 6 years ago
6
samples
0
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg4
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz1
  • Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (6)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2019-09-10 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Cleanup Man
2019-09-10 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2018-08-08 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2018-08-08 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.19 Sampler, Dust
2004-04-21 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.22 Front-end Loader Operator
2004-04-21 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Mechanic
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. Maronick Construction Llc 1950 to 2001
  2. Montana Mtls & Cons 2002 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 0
2025 2
2024 3
2023 2
2022 2
2021 2
2020 2
2019 2
2018 2
2017 2
2016 2
2015 1
2014 1
2013 0
2012 1
2011 1
2010 0
2009 1
2008 2
2007 3
2006 4
2005 4
2004 6
2003 5
2002 5
2001 5
2000 6
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Helena Sand & Gravel-Portable Wash Plant sits in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, where the Census mining category is 1.0% 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.
Lewis and Clark County, Montana · Population 72,580
1.0%
Mining share of county employment
$74,543
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 0 0 0
2026 Q1 0 0 0
2025 Q4 460 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 500 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 335 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 0 0 0
2024 Q4 293 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 785 1 0 1273.9
Show 94 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 301 0 0 0.0
2024 Q1 143 0 0 0.0
2023 Q4 293 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 916 1 0 1091.7
2023 Q2 524 0 0 0.0
2023 Q1 0 0 0
2022 Q4 288 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 504 0 0 0.0
2022 Q2 757 0 0 0.0
2022 Q1 0 0 0
2021 Q4 846 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 567 1 0 1763.7
2021 Q2 241 0 0 0.0
2021 Q1 0 0 0
2020 Q4 503 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 400 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 415 1 0 2409.6
2020 Q1 0 0 0
2019 Q4 649 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 563 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 906 0 0 0.0
2019 Q1 0 0 0
2018 Q4 327 2 0 6116.2
2018 Q3 906 2 0 2207.5
2018 Q2 636 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 0 0 0
2017 Q4 349 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 186 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 801 3 0 3745.3
2017 Q1 0 0 0
2016 Q4 96 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 952 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 1,182 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 0 1 0
2015 Q4 628 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 569 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 850 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 0 0 0
2014 Q4 850 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 770 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 0 0 0
2014 Q1 0 0 0
2013 Q4 0 0 0
2013 Q3 0 0 0
2013 Q2 465 2 0 4301.1
2013 Q1 0 0 0
2012 Q4 600 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 500 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 800 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 0 0 0
2011 Q4 0 0 0
2011 Q3 438 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 850 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 0 0 0
2010 Q4 0 0 0
2010 Q3 1,060 2 1 1886.8
2010 Q2 0 0 0
2010 Q1 0 0 0
2009 Q4 0 0 0
2009 Q3 1,188 1 1 841.8
2009 Q2 0 0 0
2009 Q1 0 0 0
2008 Q4 0 0 0
2008 Q3 1,960 2 0 1020.4
2008 Q2 3,148 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 0 0 0
2007 Q3 640 3 0 4687.5
2007 Q2 300 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 2,570 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 2,074 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 1,441 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 2,879 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 2,686 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 1,552 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 2,356 4 1 1697.8
2004 Q3 3,356 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 3,458 5 2 1445.9
2004 Q1 1,641 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 218 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 663 0 0 0.0
2003 Q2 920 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 637 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 115 1 0 8695.7
2002 Q3 669 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 1,742 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 2,849 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 855 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 411 0 0 0.0
2001 Q2 559 0 0 0.0
2001 Q1 327 1 1 3058.1
2000 Q4 713 0 0 0.0
2000 Q3 1,388 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 1,340 0 0 0.0
2000 Q1 2,987 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

4 on file

2004 · 3 incidents

September 21, 2004 MT · Metal/Non-Metal front-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operator POWERED HAULAGE
Montana Mtls & Cons · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

EE WAS USING A SHORT BAR TO PUSH IN A SWEEP. THE BELT CLIPS CAUGHT THE BAR AND PULLED IN HIS FINGER. FINGER CAUGHT BETWEEN THE CONVEYOR BELT AND FRAME. EE FAILED TO LOCK-OUT EQUIPMENT. (AMPUTATION LEFT INDEX FINGER - DISTAL PHALANGE.)

August 9, 2004 MT · Metal/Non-Metal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Montana Mtls & Cons · Struck by falling object

EE WAS REMOVING SHAFT OUT OF PUMP TO REPLACE BEARINGS. WHILE PULLING SHAFT OUT, THE PUMP SLIPPED OFF JACK AND FELL, LANDING ON EE'S LEFT FOOT.

July 22, 2004 MT · Metal/Non-Metal front-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operator POWERED HAULAGE
Montana Mtls & Cons · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Loader was pulling on concrete block with a chain. the chain broke, causing a piece of chain link to strike ee in mouth.

2001 · 1 incident

February 8, 2001 MT · Metal/Non-Metal warehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operator ELECTRICAL
Maronick Construction Llc · Flash burns (electric)

EE WAS INSPECTING A DAMAGED 480V POWER RECEPTACLE THAT HAD FLASHED. DURING HIS INSPECTION HE PICKED UP THE RECEPTACLE & IT FLASHED AGAIN . EE FAILED TO DISCONNET POWER TO RECEPTECLE PRIOR TO HIS INSPECTION