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Lawson Quarry Inc: 266 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Lawson Quarry Inc · Surface
Controlled by Thomas Lawson
Friday harbor, San Juan County, WA  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 4503325

Lawson Quarry Inc has $154K in proposed MSHA penalties and $10K outstanding across 4 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
3
Years on record
2009–2017
Latest incident
Mar 2017
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
266
citations
72
significant & substantial
$153,953
proposed penalties
$103,322
paid to date
67% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $50,631 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Lawson Quarry Inc's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
81
inspections on record
1,578
inspection hours
16.9
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.
266 citations across 1,578 inspection hours.
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: 2024-01-30.
On record since 2024.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.

Lawson Quarry Inc has $154K in proposed MSHA penalties and $10K 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.
$154K
proposed penalties
$113K
current assessed
$103K
paid to date
$10K
outstanding
258 assessments are final orders; 4 contested dockets.
Of $91K in penalties contested before the Commission, $50K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-02-11.
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.
27.3%
significant & substantial
7.2%
high negligence or reckless
27.3%
reasonably likely or greater
59.8%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 7.6% low, 85.2% moderate, 7.2% 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.
26 citations taken to the federal commission · 10% of citations on record
  • Settled 16 · 62%
  • Stood as issued 7 · 27%
  • Vacated or withdrawn 1 · 4%
  • Still open 2 · 8%
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 11 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
45%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$91K proposed, $50K 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 2026-04-19.
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
WEST 2024-0217 Settlement Young 2025 $75K → $36K
WEST 2022-0354 Default 2022 $9K → $9K
WEST 2019-0337 Settlement Miller 2019 $7K → $5K
WEST 2026-0188 Decision pending
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: 2023-04-25, 3 years ago
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
6
samples
2
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg3
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz2
  • Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (6)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2023-04-25 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Crusher Oper/Worker
2023-04-25 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.27 Mechanic
2014-04-23 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2009-06-18 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Supervisor, Co. Official
2002-08-08 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.38 0.61 0.62 Laborer, Bullgang
2002-08-08 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.62 0.84 0.74 Crusher Oper/Worker
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. Lawson Quarry Inc 1994 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 6
2025 7
2024 5
2023 7
2022 7
2021 6
2020 6
2019 7
2018 8
2017 5
2016 2
2015 4
2014 5
2013 5
2012 5
2011 4
2010 4
2009 3
2008 5
2007 8
2006 5
2005 6
2004 6
2003 6
2002 5
2001 4
2000 5
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Lawson Quarry Inc sits in San Juan County, Washington, where the Census mining category is 0.2% 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.
San Juan County, Washington · Population 18,266
0.2%
Mining share of county employment
$83,682
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 1,954 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 2,164 8 1 3696.9
2025 Q4 2,741 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 2,881 8 1 2776.8
2025 Q2 2,780 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 2,700 7 0 2592.6
2024 Q4 891 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 1,924 3 1 1559.3
Show 95 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 1,662 0 0 0.0
2024 Q1 1,874 17 8 9071.5
2023 Q4 1,720 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 1,872 3 2 1602.6
2023 Q2 1,543 9 2 5832.8
2023 Q1 2,007 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 1,891 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 2,005 11 6 5486.3
2022 Q2 2,080 0 0 0.0
2022 Q1 1,886 11 2 5832.4
2021 Q4 1,941 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 1,647 7 2 4250.2
2021 Q2 1,780 0 0 0.0
2021 Q1 1,774 4 0 2254.8
2020 Q4 1,937 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 1,703 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 1,707 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 1,762 1 0 567.5
2019 Q4 1,685 1 0 593.5
2019 Q3 1,874 3 1 1600.9
2019 Q2 2,171 0 0 0.0
2019 Q1 2,548 12 4 4709.6
2018 Q4 2,779 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 2,741 1 0 364.8
2018 Q2 2,980 5 0 1677.9
2018 Q1 2,505 9 5 3592.8
2017 Q4 2,297 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 2,353 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 2,505 6 0 2395.2
2017 Q1 1,976 2 1 1012.1
2016 Q4 987 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 1,174 1 0 851.8
2016 Q2 1,132 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 733 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 1,457 2 0 1372.7
2015 Q3 2,022 3 0 1483.7
2015 Q2 2,575 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 2,064 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 2,114 3 0 1419.1
2014 Q3 2,143 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 1,938 7 2 3612.0
2014 Q1 1,766 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 1,759 8 2 4548.0
2013 Q3 1,973 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 2,819 5 0 1773.7
2013 Q1 2,260 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 2,460 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 2,348 6 2 2555.4
2012 Q2 840 6 2 7142.9
2012 Q1 1,494 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 1,704 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 1,990 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 1,903 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 1,618 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 1,859 0 0 0.0
2010 Q3 2,681 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 2,160 7 3 3240.7
2010 Q1 1,470 0 0 0.0
2009 Q4 1,785 10 5 5602.2
2009 Q3 1,227 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 1,410 6 2 4255.3
2009 Q1 1,231 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 1,513 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 1,471 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 2,404 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 2,809 7 1 2492.0
2007 Q4 3,033 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 2,764 3 0 1085.4
2007 Q2 2,702 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 2,508 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 2,051 2 1 975.1
2006 Q2 2,233 3 2 1343.5
2005 Q4 1,663 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 2,074 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 1,352 3 0 2218.9
2005 Q1 1,911 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 1,351 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 1,443 8 1 5544.0
2004 Q2 2,520 1 0 396.8
2004 Q1 1,904 4 0 2100.8
2003 Q4 2,064 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 2,238 0 0 0.0
2003 Q2 1,897 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 1,925 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 2,252 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 2,099 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 2,366 20 8 8453.1
2001 Q4 2,252 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 1,590 6 0 3773.6
2001 Q2 1,996 0 0 0.0
2001 Q1 1,856 3 0 1616.4
2000 Q4 640 0 0 0.0
2000 Q3 3,840 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 1,459 0 0 0.0
2000 Q1 1,010 3 1 2970.3
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

3 on file

2017 · 1 incident

March 6, 2017 WA · Metal/Non-Metal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Lawson Quarry Inc · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Miner tried to free up a lodged rock and bar sprang back at EE, resulting in a cut to the shoulder. EE received several stitches.

2015 · 1 incident

July 14, 2015 WA · Metal/Non-Metal front-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operator HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Lawson Quarry Inc · Caught in, under or between (Not Elsewhere Classified)

EE smashed his finger using a rock bar.

2009 · 1 incident

October 28, 2009 WA · Metal/Non-Metal front-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operator ELECTRICAL
Lawson Quarry Inc · Contact with hot objects or substances

Alternator failed, causing battery to overheat and boil dry. A spark was somehow created during the jump starting process, igniting the gas and resulting in the explosion of the battery.