Mining Incidents

NICHOLS PIT: 7 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Mk Sand & Gravel Inc · Surface
Controlled by Melvin Weaver
Mesa County, CO  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 0504657

NICHOLS PIT has $780 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
0
Years on record
Latest incident
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
7
citations
1
significant & substantial
$780
proposed penalties
$645
paid to date
83% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $135 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
4
inspections on record
30
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: 30 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

NICHOLS PIT has $780 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.
$780
proposed penalties
$645
current assessed
$645
paid to date
$0
outstanding
7 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $450 in penalties contested before the Commission, $315 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2000-08-08.
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.
14.3%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
14.3%
reasonably likely or greater
57.1%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 0.0% low, 100.0% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
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
WEST20010281M Settlement Manning 2001 $450 → $315
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. Mk Sand & Gravel Inc 1999 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2003 0
2002 0
2001 0
2000 1
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

NICHOLS PIT sits in Mesa County, Colorado, where the Census mining category is 2.0% 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.
Mesa County, Colorado · Population 157,316
2.0%
Mining share of county employment
$71,485
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
2003 Q1 0 0 0
2002 Q3 0 0 0
2002 Q2 0 0 0
2001 Q3 0 0 0
2001 Q1 0 0 0
2000 Q4 0 0 0
2000 Q3 0 7 1
2000 Q2 1,023 0 0 0.0
Show 1 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2000 Q1 0 0 0

No reportable incidents on file.

MSHA has no recorded reportable accidents for this mine in the current dataset. New reports appear here within a week of being filed.