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: 355 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
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: 2013-05-29.
On record since 2013.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
Miller Pit has $14K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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.
$14K
proposed penalties
$13K
current assessed
$13K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
47 assessments are final orders; 4 contested dockets.
Of $8K in penalties contested before the Commission, $7K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2017-10-03.
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.
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.
8citations taken to the federal commission · 17% of citations on record
Settled
8 · 100%
80%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 5 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
15%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$8K proposed, $7K 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 A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record.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 2015-12-28.
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: 2017-05-16, 9 years ago
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
4
samples
1
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Respirable dust, <.1mg3
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (4)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2017-05-16
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Truck Driver
2017-05-16
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.14
0.73
0.19
Shovel Operator
2017-05-16
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2017-05-16
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.
Miller Pit recorded 10.67 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2017.
Injury rate, 2017
ⓘ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.
10.67
total case rate
10.67
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US metal and nonmetal mining average was 1.99 and the all-US-mining average was 2.48 cases per 100 workers.
In Alabama, metal and nonmetal mining averaged 1.87 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
2017 *
10.67
10.67
0.000
2016 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2015 *
2.46
0.00
0.000
2014 *
8.60
5.73
0.000
2013 *
10.82
5.41
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
2017
18
2016
31
2015
34
2014
29
2013
39
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Miller Pit sits in Autauga County, Alabama, where the Census mining category is 0.3% 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.
Autauga County, Alabama · Population 59,285
0.3%
Mining share of county employment
$69,841
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
2017 Q4
3,011
1
0
332.1
2017 Q3
10,366
0
0
0.0
2017 Q2
12,220
5
2
409.2
2017 Q1
11,896
0
0
0.0
2016 Q4
10,120
2
1
197.6
2016 Q3
21,393
0
0
0.0
2016 Q2
20,405
2
0
98.0
2016 Q1
20,539
0
0
0.0
Show 12 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2015 Q4
20,405
4
0
196.0
2015 Q3
19,668
0
0
0.0
2015 Q2
20,671
2
0
96.8
2015 Q1
20,680
0
0
0.0
2014 Q4
19,802
6
3
303.0
2014 Q3
14,469
0
0
0.0
2014 Q2
16,978
8
3
471.2
2014 Q1
18,547
6
1
323.5
2013 Q4
16,527
0
0
0.0
2013 Q3
30,038
4
2
133.2
2013 Q2
21,651
5
1
230.9
2013 Q1
5,717
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
10 on file
2017 · 2 incidents
June 19, 2017AL · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerOTHER
Operator was travelling in unloaded CAT 740B haul truck. Hit a pot hole in haul road causing him to bounce in seat (whiplash action). Operator has had previous, non-work related issues with neck, which required him to miss time from work. Operator had immediate pain in neck.
Rain soaked, rutted out haul road lead to vehicle hitting hole and causing the operator to bounce in his seat. By his own admission, he was not wearing his seatbelt. Operator was bounced up and came down hard on the seat. Caused lower back pain.
Employee complained of back pain following a trip from mine to plant. Road was rough and he stated he hit a bump in road and shifted sideways in his seat. Said he immediately felt pain in his back.
Employee was operating a truck on wet, pothole filled roads. He encountered a hole in road that caused him to bounce in his seat. Seat did not have air adjusted properly and he bottomed out during bounce.
October 1, 2013AL · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Employee was washing the concrete slab off under the hopper when the primary belt started overloading. The wet pit run starting running over the side of the belt covering his feet in mud. He tried to move and his foot was stuck in the mud. When he twisted his body to move his foot did not move.