Lucerne Valley, San Bernardino County,
CA
·
Active
MSHA Mine ID: 0403178
Lucerne Valley Pit has $215K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 9 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
1
Total incidents
27
Years on record
1984–2017
Latest incident
Mar 2017
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
203
citations
65
significant & substantial
$214,962
proposed penalties
$122,645
paid to date
57% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $92,317 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.
203 citations across 1,438 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Lucerne Valley Pit has $215K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 9 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.
$215K
proposed penalties
$123K
current assessed
$123K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
200 assessments are final orders; 9 contested dockets.
Of $168K in penalties contested before the Commission, $76K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-07-07.
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.
12citations taken to the federal commission · 6% of citations on record
Settled
10 · 83%
Stood as issued
2 · 17%
78%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 9 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
55%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$167K proposed, $75K 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 2017-12-05.
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: 2026-07-08
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
18
samples
5
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz7
Respirable dust, <.1mg7
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz4
Show the individual readings (18)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2026-07-08
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.18
Utility Man
2024-06-26
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2019-08-07
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.14
Laborer, Bullgang
2019-08-07
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.15
Bulldozer Operator
2019-08-07
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2013-05-22
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2013-05-22
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.81
2.74
0.30
Crusher Oper/Worker
2013-05-22
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2009-03-10
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.34
2.22
0.15
Front-end Loader Operator
2009-03-10
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Supervisor, Co. Official
2009-03-10
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Crusher Oper/Worker
2009-03-10
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.16
Front-end Loader Operator
2004-10-06
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.28
2.18
0.13
Front-end Loader Operator
2004-10-06
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Laborer, Bullgang
2004-04-21
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.25
Truck Driver
2003-04-08
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
1.4
2.08
0.67
Cleanup Man
2003-04-08
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
2.01
Front-end Loader Operator
2001-08-01
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.38
2.78
0.14
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.
Lucerne Valley Pit recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2022.
Injury rate, 2022
ⓘ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.
0.00
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US metal and nonmetal mining average was 1.78 and the all-US-mining average was 2.12 cases per 100 workers.
In California, metal and nonmetal mining averaged 1.91 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
2022 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2019 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2018 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2017 *
7.11
7.11
0.000
2016 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2006 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2005 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2004 *
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
11
2025
10
2024
10
2023
10
2022
12
2021
10
2020
10
2019
15
2018
14
2017
14
2016
21
2015
6
2014
7
2013
6
2012
6
2011
6
2010
5
2009
5
2008
9
2007
8
2006
9
2005
10
2004
9
2003
7
2002
6
2001
5
2000
6
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Lucerne Valley Pit sits in San Bernardino County, California, where the Census mining category is 0.1% 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 Bernardino County, California · Population 2,187,816
0.1%
Mining share of county employment
$82,184
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
Hi-Grade Materials Co · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
10242 CONTRACTING HAUL TRUCK DRIVER EXITED HIS OWN TRUCK NEAR THE OFFICE/TRUCK SCALE. UPON EXITING THE TRUCK, THE DRIVER DID NOT SET THE BRAKES OR THE BRAKES FAILED. THE TRUCK STARTED TO ROLL 15403HE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO ENTER THE MOVING TRUCK. HE WAS UNSUCCESSFUL IN STOPPING HIS TRUCK AND THE DRIVER WAS RUN OVER BY HIS VEHICLE.
Reportable incidents
26 on file (excluding fatalities above)
2017 · 1 incident
March 21, 2017CA · Metal/Non-Metalwelder (shop)ENTRAPMENT
Hi-Grade Materials Co · Caught in, under or between collapsing material or buildings
While attempting to change skirting on conveyor, employee entered the dozer trap to remove bolts, equipment operator pushed material into the hopper and buried employee with material.
2002 · 1 incident
August 2, 2002CA · Metal/Non-Metalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorMACHINERY
EE HAD BEEN WORKING LOADER #980-C LONG HOURS FOR SEVERAL DAYS. IT WAS EXTREMELY HOT TEMPS OVER 100 DEGREES; EE HAD BEEN SICK WITH THE FLU EARLIER IN THE WEEK. HE FELT FAIN AND DIZZY THINKING I T WAS FROM THE FUMES OF THE LOADER. WAS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL VIA AMBULANCE. RELEASED THAT EVENING.
1997 · 1 incident
July 26, 1997CA · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
THE EMPLOYEE WAS PRYING ON THE ADDITIVE TANK TO TILT IT FOR BETTER PICK UP.
September 9, 1992CA · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Hi-Grade Materials Co · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
AS THE EMPLOYEE WAS ATTACHING A PORTABLE WELDER TO THE BOB CAT THE WELDER,BEING UNBALANCED,FORCED EMPLOYEE AGAINST THE ON BOARD OXYGEN BOTTLES.
May 11, 1992CA · Metal/Non-Metallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanOTHER
EMPLOYEE WAS ASSISTING IN THE REMOVAL OF ROCK THAT WAS STUCK IN THE TAIL PULLEY SECTION OF THE PIT STACKER. EMPLOYEE WAS USING HAMMER TO DISLODGE THE ROCK WHEN HE FELT SOMETHING PULL IN THE BA CK OF HIS NECK.
1989 · 2 incidents
October 17, 1989CA · Metal/Non-Metalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorHANDLING OF MATERIALS
EMPLOYEE REPORTED THAT WHILE DRIVING ON A BUMPY ROAD HE PULLED OR STRAINED HIS LEFT LOWER BACK
1987 · 3 incidents
November 19, 1987CA · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS
EMP WAS TIGHTEN3NG A CHAIN BINDER WHEN THE LATCH BROKE FREE, HE THOUGHT THE BINDER WAS LATCHED HOWEVER WHEN HE PULLED ON THE CHEATER BAR THE ASSEMBLY STRUCK THE RIGHT SIDE OF HIS HEAD
1986 · 3 incidents
November 19, 1986CA · Metal/Non-Metallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanHANDLING OF MATERIALS
EMPLOYEE WAS EN1AGED IN ASSISTING THE PLANT MANAGER REMOVE A SPROCKET OFF A SHAFT AT THE FEEDER. WHILE PRESSING THE SPROCKET IT BROKE AND A PIECE OF METAL HIT THE EMPLOYEES LEFT ARM.
BELT PULLEY WAS3'T TURNING. EMPLOYEE GRABBED AT PULLEY TO SEE IF IT WAS FROZEN. BELT PULLED GLAND FINGER OF EMPLOYEE THROUGH PULLEY-CUTTING END OF EMPLOYEE'S FINGER.
WHILE GRINDING METAL PLATE WITHOUT GLASSES ON. SMALL PIECE OF METAL PENETRATED RT EYE BALL.
1984 · 1 incident
September 21, 1984CA · Metal/Non-Metallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanMACHINERY
Hi-Grade Materials Co · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
WHILE ATTEMPTING TO OPEN GATE O N PIT HOPPER AND CLEAR BOULDER IT MOVED & CAUSED GATE T O C LOST AND CAUGHT 5TH FINGER (PINKY) ON LEFT HAND CRUSHING IT POSSIBLE FRACTURE & CONTRUSIO NS RESULTING IN UNKNOWN LOSTTIME