Mining Incidents

Norman Mine: 16 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Controlled by Michael E Waycaster
Marion, Mcdowell County, NC  ·  Intermittent
MSHA Mine ID: 3101993

Norman Mine has $4K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

Watch this mine

Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at Norman Mine.

Fatalities
0
Total incidents
6
Years on record
1989–2003
Latest incident
Jan 2003
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2001
16
citations
1
significant & substantial
$3,777
proposed penalties
$2,277
paid to date
60% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $1,500 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
63
inspections on record
596
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: 596 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Norman Mine has $4K 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.
$4K
proposed penalties
$2K
current assessed
$2K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
16 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $2K in penalties contested before the Commission, $500 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-03-24.
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.
6.2%
significant & substantial
12.5%
high negligence or reckless
6.2%
reasonably likely or greater
25.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 25.0% low, 62.5% moderate, 12.5% 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 · 6% of citations on record
  • Settled 1 · 100%
0%
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%
75%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$2K proposed, $500 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 2009-07-15.
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
SE 2009-700M Settlement Melick 2011 $2K → $500
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: 2024-07-17
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
10
samples
2
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg6
  • Fibers, >5um2
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz2
Show the individual readings (10)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2024-07-17 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Backhoe Operator
2013-07-11 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Rotary Bucket Ex. Operator
2008-04-16 Fibers, >5um 0.01 Rotary Bucket Ex. Operator
2006-04-13 Fibers, >5um 0.01 Rotary Bucket Ex. Operator
2005-05-19 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.22 0.42 0.52 Forklift Operator
2005-05-19 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.24 0.33 0.73 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2005-05-19 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Backhoe Operator
2004-08-17 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Rotary Bucket Ex. Operator
2000-11-16 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Backhoe Operator
2000-11-16 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Truck Driver
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.

Norman Mine recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2008.

Injury rate, 2008
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 3.15 and the all-US-mining average was 3.61 cases per 100 workers.
In North Carolina, metal and nonmetal mining averaged 2.48 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
2008 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2007 * 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
2003 * 6.94 6.94 0.000
2002 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2001 * 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.
Ownership history
  1. Western Carolina Stone Center & Supply Inc 1986 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 2
2025 2
2024 2
2023 2
2022 2
2021 1
2019 6
2018 6
2017 10
2016 7
2015 11
2014 8
2013 9
2012 9
2011 9
2010 10
2009 9
2008 11
2007 12
2006 12
2005 15
2004 14
2003 14
2002 14
2001 15
2000 16
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Norman Mine sits in McDowell County, North Carolina, where the Census mining category is 0.5% 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.
McDowell County, North Carolina · Population 44,679
0.5%
Mining share of county employment
$55,527
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 12 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 17 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 12 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 12 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 12 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 7 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 4 0 0 0.0
2024 Q2 9 0 0 0.0
Show 90 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q1 7 0 0 0.0
2023 Q4 5 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 6 0 0 0.0
2023 Q2 6 0 0 0.0
2023 Q1 7 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 4 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 7 0 0 0.0
2022 Q2 2 0 0 0.0
2022 Q1 4 4 0 1000000.0
2021 Q4 3 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 0 0 0
2021 Q2 2 0 0 0.0
2021 Q1 0 0 0
2019 Q2 2,770 0 0 0.0
2019 Q1 2,770 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 2,880 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 2,947 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 2,770 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 4,060 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 4,800 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 4,874 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 4,217 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 3,789 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 480 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 3,379 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 846 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 4,813 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 4,690 2 0 426.4
2015 Q2 4,209 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 3,533 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 4,857 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 4,776 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 4,305 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 3,646 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 3,814 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 3,953 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 4,779 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 3,923 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 3,898 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 3,972 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 4,461 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 3,169 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 2,942 1 0 339.9
2011 Q3 4,401 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 4,693 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 3,971 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 4,250 0 0 0.0
2010 Q3 5,057 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 4,611 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 2,200 0 0 0.0
2009 Q4 4,210 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 4,906 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 5,154 1 0 194.0
2009 Q1 2,653 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 4,232 1 1 236.3
2008 Q3 5,970 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 6,177 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 5,207 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 6,081 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 7,030 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 6,682 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 5,557 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 5,461 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 7,219 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 7,690 1 0 130.0
2006 Q1 5,740 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 5,887 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 8,652 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 7,511 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 5,509 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 7,321 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 7,590 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 8,291 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 5,535 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 6,924 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 7,918 0 0 0.0
2003 Q2 7,810 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 6,183 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 6,242 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 7,319 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 7,641 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 6,118 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 5,233 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 7,903 0 0 0.0
2001 Q2 7,558 0 0 0.0
2001 Q1 6,120 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 5,857 0 0 0.0
2000 Q3 7,100 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 9,097 0 0 0.0
2000 Q1 6,299 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

6 on file

2003 · 1 incident

1999 · 1 incident

1995 · 1 incident

1993 · 2 incidents

June 3, 1993 NC · Metal/Non-Metal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Western Carolina Stone Center & Supply Inc · Struck by flying object

ONE EMPLOYEE WAS REPLACING A HAMMER HANDLE WHILE THE INJURED EMPLOYEE WAS HOLDING IT & THE HAMMER GLANCED OFF & HIS HIS RIGHT THUMB & BROKE IT.

1989 · 1 incident