La Grange Mine has $154K in proposed MSHA penalties and $23K outstanding across 7 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
2002
Latest incident
Jul 2002
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
340
citations
76
significant & substantial
$154,287
proposed penalties
$108,710
paid to date
70% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $45,577 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.
340 citations across 1,383 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
La Grange Mine has $154K in proposed MSHA penalties and $23K outstanding across 7 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.
$154K
proposed penalties
$132K
current assessed
$109K
paid to date
$23K
outstanding
333 assessments are final orders; 7 contested dockets.
Of $62K in penalties contested before the Commission, $39K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-07-22.
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.
54citations taken to the federal commission · 16% of citations on record
Settled
52 · 96%
Vacated or withdrawn
2 · 4%
52%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 29 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
37%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$62K proposed, $39K 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 2023-09-05.
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: 2026-04-01
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
12
samples
5
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz6
Respirable dust, <.1mg6
Show the individual readings (12)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2026-04-01
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Laborer, Bullgang
2021-02-10
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Washer Operator
2019-08-28
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.4
1
0.40
Laborer, Bullgang
2019-08-28
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.45
Laborer, Bullgang
2015-01-06
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Washer Operator
2015-01-06
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Mechanic
2009-04-21
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.24
1.34
0.18
Front-end Loader Operator
2009-04-21
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Washer Operator
2002-03-13
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.42
2.48
0.17
Dry Screen Plant Operator
2002-03-13
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.62
1.81
0.34
Supervisor, Co. Official
2002-03-13
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.58
2.88
0.20
Front-end Loader Operator
2002-03-13
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Bulldozer 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.
La Grange Mine recorded 7.45 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2002.
Injury rate, 2002
ⓘ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.
7.45
total case rate
7.45
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US metal and nonmetal mining average was 4.17 and the all-US-mining average was 5.05 cases per 100 workers.
In California, metal and nonmetal mining averaged 5.20 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
2002 *
7.45
7.45
0.000
2000 *
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
13
2025
10
2024
9
2023
13
2022
11
2021
10
2020
8
2019
6
2018
7
2017
9
2016
10
2015
7
2014
8
2013
6
2012
9
2011
9
2010
10
2009
10
2008
9
2007
10
2006
10
2005
9
2004
9
2003
10
2002
15
2001
9
2000
16
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
La Grange Mine sits in Trinity County, California, where the Census mining category is 1.5% 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.
Trinity County, California · Population 15,886
1.5%
Mining share of county employment
$53,498
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
LEFT FOOT BECAME LAME WITH NO APPARENT CAUSE WHILE WALKING IN QUARRY FACILITY. HE WAS WALKING ON THE GROUND AT THE SCREENING PLANT AND LEFT LEG CAME UP AND GOT CAUGHT BEHIND RIGHT LEG AND EMPL OYEE FELL OVER.