Mining Incidents

Helt Pit: 15 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Westport Sand & Gravel Co., Inc. · Surface
Controlled by Robert Raemisch
Waunakee, Dane County, WI  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 4702197

Helt Pit has $1K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 3 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
15
citations
2
significant & substantial
$1,224
proposed penalties
$1,224
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
14
inspections on record
128
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: 128 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Helt Pit has $1K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 3 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.
$1K
proposed penalties
$1K
current assessed
$1K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
15 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $255 in penalties contested before the Commission, $155 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2011-07-07.
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.
13.3%
significant & substantial
13.3%
high negligence or reckless
13.3%
reasonably likely or greater
40.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 26.7% low, 60.0% moderate, 13.3% 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.
2 citations taken to the federal commission · 13% of citations on record
  • Settled 1 · 50%
  • Vacated or withdrawn 1 · 50%
50%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$200 proposed, $100 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 2011-12-12.
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 2010-938M Settlement Lesnick 2011 $100 → $100
LAKE 2012-223M Withdrawal Lesnick 2012 $100 → $0
LAKE20010054M Default Barbour 2001 $55 → $55
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. Westport Sand & Gravel Co., Inc. 1950 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2011 1
2010 2
2009 1
2008 2
2007 1
2006 1
2005 1
2000 1
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Helt Pit sits in Dane County, Wisconsin, 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.
Dane County, Wisconsin · Population 564,777
0.0%
Mining share of county employment
$88,108
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
2011 Q4 94 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 56 2 0 35714.3
2011 Q2 79 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 0 0 0
2010 Q4 90 0 0 0.0
2010 Q3 94 1 0 10638.3
2010 Q2 169 1 0 5917.2
2010 Q1 60 0 0 0.0
Show 23 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2009 Q4 94 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 106 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 0 0 0
2009 Q1 0 0 0
2008 Q4 275 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 325 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 114 1 0 8771.9
2008 Q1 72 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 260 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 316 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 428 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 166 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 280 2 0 7142.9
2006 Q3 339 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 425 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 252 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 227 1 1 4405.3
2005 Q3 278 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 410 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 219 6 1 27397.3
2000 Q3 578 1 0 1730.1
2000 Q2 557 0 0 0.0
2000 Q1 523 0 0 0.0

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.