Keystone Blue Quarry has $23K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 6 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
24
Years on record
1983–2025
Latest incident
Sep 2025
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2001
117
citations
42
significant & substantial
$23,015
proposed penalties
$22,499
paid to date
98% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $516 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: 919 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Imminent-danger orders
ⓘA Section 107(a) order removes miners from an area when an inspector finds an imminent danger. Each order is lifted once the condition is corrected, so this counts orders issued, not orders now in effect.
1
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2017-06-06.
On record since 2017.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
Keystone Blue Quarry has $23K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 6 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.
$23K
proposed penalties
$22K
current assessed
$22K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
116 assessments are final orders; 6 contested dockets.
Of $6K in penalties contested before the Commission, $5K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2023-05-17.
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.
19citations taken to the federal commission · 16% of citations on record
Settled
7 · 37%
Stood as issued
10 · 53%
Vacated or withdrawn
2 · 11%
86%
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 14 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
9%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$6K proposed, $5K 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 2022-08-02.
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: 2020-01-29, 6 years ago
25%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
22
samples
12
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz143 over
Respirable dust, <.1mg7
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (22)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2012-04-19
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.6
0.48
1.25
Drill Operator, Rotary Air
2002-09-30
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
1.12
0.51
2.20
Utility Man
2002-09-30
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.84
0.52
1.62
Drill Operator, Rotary Air
2020-01-29
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Laborer, Bullgang
2020-01-29
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.15
Laborer, Bullgang
2020-01-29
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Mobile Crane Operator
2018-10-30
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Laborer, Bullgang
2018-10-30
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Laborer, Bullgang
2018-10-30
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.13
Laborer, Bullgang
2013-10-24
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.57
2.29
0.25
Jackhammer Operator
2013-10-24
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.32
1.3
0.25
Jackhammer Operator
2013-10-24
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Jackhammer Operator
2012-06-12
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Drill Operator, Rotary
2012-04-19
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.18
0.56
0.32
Drill Operator, Rotary Air
2012-04-19
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.34
0.67
0.51
Drill Operator, Rotary Air
2008-07-17
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.27
0.62
0.44
Jackhammer Operator
2004-03-16
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Utility Man
2004-03-16
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.31
Drill Operator, Rotary Air
2003-02-25
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.15
0.94
0.16
Drill Operator, Rotary Air
2003-02-25
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.18
0.76
0.24
Utility Man
2002-06-12
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.47
1.49
0.32
Stone Polisher/Cutter
2002-06-12
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.36
0.7
0.51
Drill Operator, Rotary Air
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.
Keystone Blue Quarry recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2021.
Injury rate, 2021
ⓘThis rate is reportable injury cases per 100 full-time-equivalent workers per year, computed as 200,000 times cases divided by MSHA operator-reported employee-hours. Cases are injuries MSHA graded degree 01 through 07; accident-only events that hurt no one are excluded, and so are contractor injuries, whose hours do not attach to a single mine. Rates begin in 2000, when quarterly employment reporting starts, and are withheld below 20,000 hours in a year.
0.00
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
No reportable injury cases in any year shown. Employee-hours were reported in each of those years, so these are true zeros rather than missing data. Citations, listed in the compliance record above, are inspector-found violations and are counted separately from worker injuries.
Below average. The US metal and nonmetal mining average was 1.87 and the all-US-mining average was 2.19 cases per 100 workers.
In Georgia, metal and nonmetal mining averaged 1.69 cases per 100 workers that year.
Under 100,000 employee-hours were reported that year, so a single case moves the rate by two or more. Read the figure as approximate.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2021 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2020 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2019 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2018 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2017 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2016 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2015 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2014 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
* Fewer than 100,000 employee-hours that year; the rate is less stable.
Source: injury cases from MSHA accident and injury records; employee-hours from MSHA quarterly employment reports. Rate is cases per 100 full-time-equivalent workers, operator employees only.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year
Employees
2026
9
2025
10
2024
10
2023
7
2022
8
2021
11
2020
15
2019
16
2018
16
2017
18
2016
17
2015
18
2014
18
2013
18
2012
17
2011
17
2010
19
2009
18
2008
20
2007
23
2006
21
2005
19
2004
19
2003
20
2002
20
2001
18
2000
19
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Keystone Blue Quarry sits in Oglethorpe County, Georgia, 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.
Oglethorpe County, Georgia · Population 15,221
0.1%
Mining share of county employment
$69,784
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
Employee was breaking a sideline this process involves striking the wedges swinging the hammer with a side-to-side motion. While doing this the employee missed the wedge and struck the wall causing the hammer to deflect and rotated the employee rapidly causing a strain to the lower lumbar.
Miner was adding a section of drill steel using a wrench to tighten the connection. The miner's left thumb was caught between the drill boom and the wrench causing a small avulsion to the left thumb.
2004 · 1 incident
March 8, 2004GA · Metal/Non-Metallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
EE came to work on 3/10/04 complaining with pain in his right knee. He told supervisor he twisted his knee on Monday 3/08/04. There were no witnesses & EE had not mentioned any problems prior to this date.
EMPLOYEE BACKED TRUCK UNDER PAN. HE GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK TO PLACE PAN ONTO TRUCK. THE PAN BUMPED THE BACK OF THE TRUCK AND A STONE FELL FROM THE PAN ONTO HIS LEFT LEG.
1999 · 1 incident
April 21, 1999GA · Metal/Non-Metalcrane operator, mobile equipment operator (meo), dragline operator, dropball operator, riggerHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
EE THOUGHT HE WAS UNCAPPING A WATER VALVE BUT HE WAS ACTUALLY UNCAPPING AN AIR VALVE WITH THE PRESSURE ON. WHEN THE CAP WAS REMOVED, THE PRESSURE JAMMED HIS THUMB.