Mining Incidents

Leucite Mine #11: 63 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Controlled by Nellie Searle
Superior, Sweetwater County, WY  ·  Intermittent
MSHA Mine ID: 4801573

Leucite Mine #11 has $18K 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
1
Years on record
2015
Latest incident
Jan 2015
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2007
63
citations
19
significant & substantial
$17,687
proposed penalties
$17,687
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2003
48
inspections on record
535
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: 535 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Leucite Mine #11 has $18K 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.
$18K
proposed penalties
$18K
current assessed
$18K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
62 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $2K in penalties contested before the Commission, $2K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-12-17.
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.
30.6%
significant & substantial
9.7%
high negligence or reckless
30.6%
reasonably likely or greater
33.9%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 1.6% low, 88.7% moderate, 9.7% 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.
1 citations taken to the federal commission · 2% of citations on record
  • Settled 1 · 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
$2K proposed, $2K 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 2015-04-08.
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 2015-0506 Settlement Manning 2016 $2K → $2K
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: 2025-12-18
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
13
samples
5
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz5
  • Cristobalite, respirable3
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg3
  • Fibers, >5um1
Show the individual readings (13)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2025-12-18 Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.17 10 0.02 Shovel Operator
2025-12-18 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2019-10-03 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2019-10-03 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.22 Front-end Loader Operator
2019-10-03 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.62 1.68 0.37 Backhoe Operator
2015-03-10 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2009-05-12 Fibers, >5um 0.12 Backhoe Operator
2008-10-29 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.41 1.48 0.28 Crusher Oper/Worker
2008-10-29 Cristobalite, respirable 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2008-10-29 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.21 1.4 0.15 Front-end Loader Operator
2008-10-29 Cristobalite, respirable 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2008-10-29 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.57 1.59 0.36 Front-end Loader Operator
2008-10-29 Cristobalite, respirable 0 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. Searle Bros. Construction Company 2000 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 2
2025 5
2024 9
2023 4
2022 3
2021 3
2020 3
2019 3
2018 4
2017 5
2016 5
2015 5
2014 8
2013 10
2012 12
2011 17
2010 14
2009 3
2008 4
2007 5
2003 0
2002 2
2001 1
2000 0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Leucite Mine #11 sits in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, where the Census mining category is 13.3% 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.
Sweetwater County, Wyoming · Population 41,786
13.3%
Mining share of county employment
$76,464
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 24 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 3 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 358 3 1 8379.9
2025 Q3 485 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 174 1 0 5747.1
2025 Q1 149 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 1,242 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 1,686 0 0 0.0
Show 85 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 1,344 0 0 0.0
2024 Q1 265 2 0 7547.2
2023 Q4 673 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 946 0 0 0.0
2023 Q2 3 1 0 333333.3
2023 Q1 450 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 343 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 0 0 0
2022 Q2 312 0 0 0.0
2022 Q1 268 0 0 0.0
2021 Q4 648 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 300 0 0 0.0
2021 Q2 651 0 0 0.0
2021 Q1 152 0 0 0.0
2020 Q4 1,219 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 1,008 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 1,656 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 651 0 0 0.0
2019 Q4 945 1 0 1058.2
2019 Q3 1,740 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 1,043 0 0 0.0
2019 Q1 545 0 0 0.0
2018 Q4 1,652 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 1,201 1 0 832.6
2018 Q2 910 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 1,135 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 1,523 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 1,471 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 1,265 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 1,099 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 1,741 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 1,301 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 1,337 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 1,944 6 1 3086.4
2015 Q4 2,229 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 2,370 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 2,169 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 2,452 3 1 1223.5
2014 Q4 2,120 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 2,115 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 1,733 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 2,764 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 1,296 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 1,727 7 2 4053.3
2013 Q2 1,320 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 1,185 4 0 3375.5
2012 Q4 1,775 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 1,448 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 2,590 7 4 2702.7
2012 Q1 3,869 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 4,019 5 1 1244.1
2011 Q3 3,378 2 1 592.1
2011 Q2 4,148 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 3,230 4 2 1238.4
2010 Q4 2,293 0 0 0.0
2010 Q3 3,464 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 2,392 3 1 1254.2
2010 Q1 3,454 0 0 0.0
2009 Q4 2,489 1 1 401.8
2009 Q3 2,634 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 2,819 4 3 1418.9
2009 Q1 1,168 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 2,597 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 2,320 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 2,863 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 3,218 3 0 932.3
2007 Q4 2,917 2 0 685.6
2007 Q3 6,296 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 2,861 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 2,116 3 1 1417.8
2003 Q3 0 0 0
2003 Q2 0 0 0
2003 Q1 20 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 71 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 0 0 0
2002 Q2 237 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 180 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 0 0 0
2001 Q3 0 0 0
2001 Q2 0 0 0
2001 Q1 430 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 0 0 0
2000 Q3 0 0 0
2000 Q2 0 0 0
2000 Q1 42 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2015 · 1 incident

January 22, 2015 WY · Metal/Non-Metal outside foreman, leadman HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Searle Bros. Construction Company · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

Employee was attempting to dislodge a rock that become lodged between the tail pulley and belt. In removing the rock, the belt moved forward pulling the employees are under the belt between the tail roller and loaded belt, Employee sustained a broken humerus