Mining Incidents

Kiell Pit: 137 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Niles, Berrien County, MI  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 2000764

Kiell Pit has $27K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 4 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

Watch this mine

Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at Kiell Pit.

Fatalities
0
Total incidents
2
Years on record
2006–2012
Latest incident
Dec 2012
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2003
137
citations
36
significant & substantial
$27,361
proposed penalties
$24,329
paid to date
89% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $3,032 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2003
49
inspections on record
862
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: 862 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Kiell Pit has $27K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 4 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.
$27K
proposed penalties
$24K
current assessed
$24K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
136 assessments are final orders; 4 contested dockets.
Of $9K in penalties contested before the Commission, $6K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-06-25.
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.
26.3%
significant & substantial
3.6%
high negligence or reckless
27.0%
reasonably likely or greater
52.6%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 19.7% low, 76.6% moderate, 3.6% 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.
17 citations taken to the federal commission · 12% of citations on record
  • Settled 16 · 94%
  • Vacated or withdrawn 1 · 6%
50%
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 10 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
36%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$8K 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 2021-08-24.
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 2011-229M Settlement Zielinski 2011 $5K → $3K
LAKE 2021-0194 Settlement Bulluck 2021 $3K → $2K
LAKE 2004-14-M Settlement Lesnick 2004 $436 → $268
LAKE 2004-29-M Default Lesnick 2004 $180 → $180
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: 2023-05-09, 3 years ago
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
13
samples
3
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg10
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz3
Show the individual readings (13)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2023-05-09 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Washer Operator
2023-05-09 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Washer Operator
2019-06-11 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Utility Man
2013-04-10 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Laborer, Bullgang
2013-04-10 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2012-08-30 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Washer Operator
2012-08-30 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Scraper Operator
2010-10-20 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.46 0.47 0.98 Front-end Loader Operator
2010-10-20 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.16 0.49 0.33 Bobcat Operator
2004-11-03 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.19 1.42 0.13 Crusher Oper/Worker
2004-08-19 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Washer Operator
2004-08-19 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Mechanic
2004-08-19 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
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. American Aggregate, Inc. 1950 to 2002
  2. American Aggregate, Inc. 2002 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 4
2025 4
2024 4
2023 4
2022 4
2021 5
2020 6
2019 5
2018 5
2017 6
2016 6
2015 6
2014 6
2013 6
2012 7
2011 5
2010 5
2009 7
2008 10
2007 10
2006 10
2005 9
2004 6
2003 6
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Kiell Pit sits in Berrien County, Michigan, 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.
Berrien County, Michigan · Population 153,411
0.0%
Mining share of county employment
$63,152
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 1,852 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 1,687 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 1,838 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 1,770 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 1,693 2 1 1181.3
2025 Q1 1,499 1 1 667.1
2024 Q4 1,734 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 1,696 0 0 0.0
Show 86 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 1,738 0 0 0.0
2024 Q1 1,543 3 1 1944.3
2023 Q4 1,725 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 1,723 0 0 0.0
2023 Q2 1,739 2 0 1150.1
2023 Q1 1,832 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 1,958 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 2,488 0 0 0.0
2022 Q2 1,884 1 1 530.8
2022 Q1 1,491 2 1 1341.4
2021 Q4 1,897 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 2,458 0 0 0.0
2021 Q2 2,413 11 4 4558.6
2021 Q1 1,424 0 0 0.0
2020 Q4 2,972 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 2,633 2 0 759.6
2020 Q2 1,777 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 1,946 0 0 0.0
2019 Q4 2,200 5 1 2272.7
2019 Q3 2,441 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 2,659 4 2 1504.3
2019 Q1 1,586 0 0 0.0
2018 Q4 2,448 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 2,762 5 1 1810.3
2018 Q2 3,121 1 0 320.4
2018 Q1 1,791 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 3,324 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 3,182 2 0 628.5
2017 Q2 3,299 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 2,029 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 2,998 4 1 1334.2
2016 Q3 3,564 2 0 561.2
2016 Q2 3,424 2 0 584.1
2016 Q1 1,954 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 3,522 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 3,443 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 3,918 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 2,234 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 3,818 1 0 261.9
2014 Q3 3,864 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 3,867 2 0 517.2
2014 Q1 1,876 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 3,687 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 3,891 6 1 1542.0
2013 Q2 3,943 1 1 253.6
2013 Q1 1,614 2 2 1239.2
2012 Q4 3,519 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 3,820 9 2 2356.0
2012 Q2 4,480 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 3,774 3 0 794.9
2011 Q4 3,469 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 3,568 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 3,473 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 2,097 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 4,116 7 1 1700.7
2010 Q3 4,078 10 1 2452.2
2010 Q2 3,607 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 2,119 0 0 0.0
2009 Q4 2,518 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 2,806 7 2 2494.7
2009 Q2 3,365 0 0 0.0
2009 Q1 1,958 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 4,406 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 4,895 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 4,953 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 2,442 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 4,638 2 1 431.2
2007 Q3 5,294 6 3 1133.4
2007 Q2 5,599 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 2,780 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 4,767 1 1 209.8
2006 Q3 4,632 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 4,679 1 1 213.7
2006 Q1 2,104 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 4,140 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 5,232 10 2 1911.3
2005 Q2 3,800 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 1,172 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 4,327 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 4,301 8 0 1860.0
2004 Q2 3,660 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 1,920 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 3,200 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 5,049 10 3 1980.6
2003 Q2 4,694 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 3,575 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

2 on file

2012 · 1 incident

December 11, 2012 MI · Metal/Non-Metal warehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operator SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
American Aggregate, Inc. · Fall from machine

Cold icy morning, conveyor was started to empty remaining dirt in feed hopper. EE positioned his truck approx 15 ft away from conveyor to investigate slippage occurring at head pulley. He stepped up on truck to get a better view and slipped off falling approx 5 1/2 ft. He dislocated elbow and cut his head on window shell during fall. Sling for arm & approx 6 sutures

2006 · 1 incident

November 20, 2006 MI · Metal/Non-Metal assayer, geologist, metallurgist, engineer, engineer management POWERED HAULAGE
American Aggregate, Inc. · Struck against a moving object

Volvo L-150D Wheel Loader was traveling south on surface that was not the road. Road was located to the east. The operator stopped & backed up per supervisor. Instead of continuing to back up & take the road, he then drove forward onto the working face of the "pipline pit area". Upon doing so, the loader tipped & fell approx 10-12'. He incurred cut to forehead & rec'd 13 stitches.