Top Grade Aggregates, LLC · Struck by falling object
Installing new motor on feeder hopper. While lifting motor into place with chain hoist, chain hoist came unhooked and motor fell, striking employee's shin and upper right ankle area.
Ionia Pit: 65 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal
Top Grade Aggregates, LLC
· Surface
Controlled by
Thomas Brink; Ross Veltema
Ionia,
Ionia County,
MI
·
Active
MSHA Mine ID: 2003496
Ionia Pit has $14K 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
- 3
- Years on record
- 2014–2024
- Latest incident
- May 2024
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2014
65
citations
10
significant & substantial
$14,070
proposed penalties
$14,070
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2014
27
inspections on record
386
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: 386 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Ionia Pit has $14K 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.$14K
proposed penalties
$14K
current assessed
$14K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
64 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $256 in penalties contested before the Commission, $256 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2024-05-06.
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.15.4%
significant & substantial
6.2%
high negligence or reckless
15.4%
reasonably likely or greater
55.4%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 18.5% low, 75.4% moderate, 6.2% 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 · 3% of citations on record
- Settled 2 · 100%
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%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$256 proposed, $256 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 2018-05-23.
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 2018-0265 | Settlement | Lesnick | 2018 | $256 → $256 |
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: 2025-10-22
ⓘ
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.0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
8
samples
2
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
- Respirable dust, <.1mg6
- Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz2
Show the individual readings (8)
| Date | Contaminant | Concentration | Limit | Conc / limit | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-10-22 | Respirable dust, <.1mg | 0 | Front-end Loader Operator | ||
| 2023-05-25 | Respirable dust, <.1mg | 0 | Front-end Loader Operator | ||
| 2023-05-25 | Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz | 0.21 | 0.8 | 0.26 | Washer Operator |
| 2020-08-11 | Respirable dust, <.1mg | 0 | Laborer, Bullgang | ||
| 2020-08-11 | Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz | 0.29 | 0.76 | 0.38 | Front-end Loader Operator |
| 2020-08-11 | Respirable dust, <.1mg | 0 | Front-end Loader Operator | ||
| 2014-09-16 | Respirable dust, <.1mg | 0 | Front-end Loader Operator | ||
| 2014-09-16 | Respirable dust, <.1mg | 0 | Supervisor, Co. Official |
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
- Top Grade Site Management, LLC 2014 to 2017
- Top Grade Aggregates, LLC 2017 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
| Year | Employees |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 |
| 2025 | 5 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2022 | 7 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2016 | 5 |
| 2015 | 3 |
| 2014 | 2 |
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Ionia Pit sits in Ionia County, Michigan, where the Census mining category is 0.1% 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.Ionia County, Michigan · Population 66,706
0.1%
Mining share of county employment
$73,436
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 | 4,338 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2026 Q1 | 2,296 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2025 Q4 | 1,867 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2025 Q3 | 2,397 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2025 Q2 | 2,649 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2025 Q1 | 1,947 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2024 Q4 | 1,545 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2024 Q3 | 1,985 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
Show 41 earlier quarters Hide earlier quarters
| Quarter | Hours worked | Citations | S&S | Per 1M hrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Q2 | 1,867 | 1 | 0 | 535.6 |
| 2024 Q1 | 1,015 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2023 Q4 | 2,158 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2023 Q3 | 2,920 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2023 Q2 | 4,055 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2023 Q1 | 2,172 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2022 Q4 | 2,312 | 2 | 0 | 865.1 |
| 2022 Q3 | 4,791 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2022 Q2 | 3,572 | 2 | 0 | 559.9 |
| 2022 Q1 | 2,563 | 1 | 0 | 390.2 |
| 2021 Q4 | 2,443 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2021 Q3 | 2,666 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2021 Q2 | 2,737 | 10 | 3 | 3653.6 |
| 2021 Q1 | 1,058 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2020 Q4 | 2,567 | 1 | 1 | 389.6 |
| 2020 Q3 | 3,332 | 7 | 1 | 2100.8 |
| 2020 Q2 | 3,074 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2020 Q1 | 2,132 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2019 Q4 | 2,746 | 2 | 0 | 728.3 |
| 2019 Q3 | 2,696 | 2 | 0 | 741.8 |
| 2019 Q2 | 2,507 | 1 | 1 | 398.9 |
| 2019 Q1 | 1,886 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2018 Q4 | 1,987 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2018 Q3 | 2,476 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2018 Q2 | 2,477 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2018 Q1 | 1,950 | 8 | 2 | 4102.6 |
| 2017 Q4 | 2,324 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2017 Q3 | 2,525 | 1 | 0 | 396.0 |
| 2017 Q2 | 2,289 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2017 Q1 | 1,106 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2016 Q4 | 3,070 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2016 Q3 | 3,445 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2016 Q2 | 3,403 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2016 Q1 | 912 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2015 Q4 | 2,580 | 3 | 0 | 1162.8 |
| 2015 Q3 | 3,368 | 4 | 0 | 1187.6 |
| 2015 Q2 | 4,320 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2015 Q1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 Q4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 Q3 | 622 | 18 | 1 | 28938.9 |
| 2014 Q2 | 1,881 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
3 on file2024 · 1 incident
2022 · 1 incident
July 26, 2022
MI · Metal/Non-Metal
front-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operator
SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Top Grade Aggregates, LLC · Fall onto or against objects
Employee was standing on the water pump structure waiting to hook a chain from the Pettibone (telescopic tractor) to the fresh water pump pipe. Employee stepped over handrail to hook and stepped onto the pontoon, it shifted and EE lost EE's balance. As EE reached to regain EE's balance EE's forearm slid across angle iron of catwalk steel structure cutting EE's forearm.
2014 · 1 incident
April 24, 2014
MI · Metal/Non-Metal
crusher attendant/operator, pan feeder operator/worker
MACHINERY
Top Grade Site Management, LLC · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)
A Grizzly Rock Separator was being repaired, but it was not properly blocked against hazardous motion. It shifted forward and stuck a miner. The miner received a broken shoulder, arm, finger and head injuries.