Mining Incidents

LOST SHEEP MINE: 25 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Spar Mountain, Juab County, UT  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 4200158

LOST SHEEP MINE has $4K in proposed MSHA penalties and $1K outstanding across 2 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
2
Years on record
2026
Latest incident
Jan 2026
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2002
25
citations
3
significant & substantial
$3,618
proposed penalties
$2,271
paid to date
63% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $1,347 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
23
inspections on record
374
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: 374 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

LOST SHEEP MINE has $4K in proposed MSHA penalties and $1K outstanding across 2 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.
$4K
proposed penalties
$4K
current assessed
$2K
paid to date
$1K
outstanding
15 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-04-03.
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.
12.5%
significant & substantial
8.3%
high negligence or reckless
12.5%
reasonably likely or greater
58.3%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 4.2% low, 87.5% moderate, 8.3% 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.
6 citations taken to the federal commission · 24% of citations on record
  • Still open 6 · 100%
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 2026-08-25.
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 2026-0235 Decision pending
WEST 2026-0301 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: 2026-04-03
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
4
samples
2
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Diesel particulate (total carbon)2
  • Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz2
Show the individual readings (10)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2026-04-03 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.55 Laborer, Bullgang
2026-04-03 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 1.03 Laborer, Bullgang
2026-04-03 TC from EC @ 160 0 160 0.00 Drill Operator, Rotary
2026-04-03 EC @ 160 0 160 0.00 Drill Operator, Rotary
2026-04-03 TC @ 160 50 160 0.31 Drill Operator, Rotary
2026-04-03 ORGANIC CARBON 0 Drill Operator, Rotary
2026-04-03 TC from EC @ 160 0 160 0.00 Drill Operator, Rotary
2026-04-03 EC @ 160 0 160 0.00 Drill Operator, Rotary
2026-04-03 TC @ 160 0 160 0.00 Drill Operator, Rotary
2026-04-03 ORGANIC CARBON 0 Drill Operator, Rotary

Area samples (mill and shop air)

Last sampled: 2026-04-03
1
samples
Show the individual readings (2)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Area sampled
2026-04-03 EC @ 160 0 UG TRAVEL/HAULAGE
2026-04-03 TC @ 160 0 UG TRAVEL/HAULAGE
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. Fair Deal Mining Corp 1950 to 1984
  2. Deseret Mining & Development 1984 to 2017
  3. Deseret Mining & Development 2017 to 2024
  4. Ares Strategic Mining Inc. 2024 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 17
2025 24
2024 2
2018 1
2017 3
2008 1
2007 1
2006 2
2005 2
2004 2
2003 2
2002 1
2001 2
2000 2
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

LOST SHEEP MINE sits in Juab County, Utah, where the Census mining category is 1.2% 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.
Juab County, Utah · Population 12,273
1.2%
Mining share of county employment
$89,803
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 10,468 3 0 286.6
2026 Q1 12,287 13 2 1058.0
2025 Q4 12,085 1 0 82.7
2025 Q3 18,892 0 0 0.0
2024 Q2 40 3 1 75000.0
2024 Q1 281 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 520 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 520 0 0 0.0
Show 34 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2018 Q1 540 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 1,080 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 80 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 0 0 0
2007 Q4 0 0 0
2007 Q3 0 0 0
2007 Q2 192 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 32 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 832 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 896 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 832 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 256 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 528 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 936 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 416 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 584 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 768 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 1,008 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 992 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 1,008 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 960 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 920 0 0 0.0
2003 Q2 960 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 960 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 960 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 416 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 0 0 0
2001 Q4 0 0 0
2001 Q3 160 0 0 0.0
2001 Q2 672 0 0 0.0
2001 Q1 1,072 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 880 0 0 0.0
2000 Q3 944 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 1,320 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

2 on file

2026 · 2 incidents

January 30, 2026 UT · Metal/Non-Metal FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Ares Strategic Mining Inc. · Accident type, without injuries

The area was the Ore access and the fall occurred at the intersection where material was bagged in the mesh. Miners intentionally dug out the top, creating a ground fall. When questioned as to why, they said they knew they were being laid off and it was somebody else's problem now. This was not an unplanned ground fall, it was planned by the miners who intentionally dug out top.