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Outerspace Pit: 137 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Willcox, Cochise County, AZ  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 0200732

Outerspace Pit has $37K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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
2011–2015
Latest incident
Jan 2015
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
137
citations
46
significant & substantial
$36,867
proposed penalties
$36,859
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $8 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Willcox Rock & Sand Inc's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
64
inspections on record
759
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: 759 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Outerspace Pit has $37K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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.
$37K
proposed penalties
$37K
current assessed
$37K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
136 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $16K in penalties contested before the Commission, $16K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-01-21.
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.
33.8%
significant & substantial
2.9%
high negligence or reckless
33.8%
reasonably likely or greater
57.4%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 8.1% low, 89.0% moderate, 2.9% 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.
16 citations taken to the federal commission · 12% of citations on record
  • Settled 2 · 13%
  • Stood as issued 14 · 88%
100%
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 10 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$16K proposed, $16K 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 2017-12-13.
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 2018-0141 Dismissal Simonton 2021 $15K → $15K
WEST 2012-139M Settlement Lesnick 2012 $1K → $997
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: 2026-01-22
25%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
12
samples
4
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz61 over
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg5
  • Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (12)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2018-12-19 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.64 0.43 1.49 Crusher Oper/Worker
2026-01-22 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Utility Man
2026-01-22 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Crusher Oper/Worker
2026-01-22 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2021-09-22 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.21 Front-end Loader Operator
2021-09-22 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Crusher Oper/Worker
2021-09-22 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Laborer, Bullgang
2019-04-09 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.43 1.07 0.40 Front-end Loader Operator
2019-04-09 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.2 0.57 0.35 Crusher Oper/Worker
2018-06-21 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.15 Bulldozer Operator
2011-08-31 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.32 0.73 0.44 Mechanic
2011-08-31 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.75 Crusher Oper/Worker
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. Willcox Rock & Sand Inc 1950 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 6
2025 6
2024 5
2023 6
2022 6
2021 6
2020 6
2019 7
2018 6
2017 7
2016 5
2015 5
2014 4
2013 4
2012 3
2011 3
2010 2
2009 2
2008 4
2007 4
2006 3
2005 4
2004 3
2003 4
2002 3
2001 4
2000 5
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Outerspace Pit sits in Cochise County, Arizona, where the Census mining category is 0.7% 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.
Cochise County, Arizona · Population 125,458
0.7%
Mining share of county employment
$58,970
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 1,845 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 1,715 4 0 2332.4
2025 Q4 1,694 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 1,508 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 1,251 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 1,537 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 1,288 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 1,568 1 0 637.8
Show 96 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 1,590 0 0 0.0
2024 Q1 1,344 0 0 0.0
2023 Q4 1,276 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 1,509 3 1 1988.1
2023 Q2 1,619 0 0 0.0
2023 Q1 2,068 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 1,329 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 1,487 0 0 0.0
2022 Q2 1,556 0 0 0.0
2022 Q1 1,375 1 1 727.3
2021 Q4 1,809 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 1,492 1 0 670.2
2021 Q2 1,756 0 0 0.0
2021 Q1 1,765 0 0 0.0
2020 Q4 2,156 3 0 1391.5
2020 Q3 1,546 1 0 646.8
2020 Q2 1,466 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 1,228 0 0 0.0
2019 Q4 1,091 1 0 916.6
2019 Q3 1,791 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 1,634 8 2 4896.0
2019 Q1 1,530 1 1 653.6
2018 Q4 1,802 3 1 1664.8
2018 Q3 865 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 1,737 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 1,195 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 2,141 15 8 7006.1
2017 Q3 2,002 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 1,987 1 0 503.3
2017 Q1 1,913 2 0 1045.5
2016 Q4 1,867 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 1,526 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 1,543 7 5 4536.6
2016 Q1 1,095 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 1,034 4 2 3868.5
2015 Q3 1,137 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 1,607 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 1,906 6 2 3148.0
2014 Q4 959 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 996 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 754 5 1 6631.3
2014 Q1 960 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 366 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 344 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 1,109 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 754 7 4 9283.8
2012 Q4 381 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 405 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 1,123 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 1,035 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 1,281 5 0 3903.2
2011 Q3 865 14 7 16185.0
2011 Q2 496 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 52 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 0 1 0
2010 Q3 8 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 56 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 392 4 0 10204.1
2009 Q4 40 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 280 1 0 3571.4
2009 Q2 8 0 0 0.0
2009 Q1 0 0 0
2008 Q4 584 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 648 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 496 4 3 8064.5
2007 Q4 816 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 808 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 1,152 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 504 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 464 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 552 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 456 16 5 35087.7
2006 Q1 800 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 440 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 728 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 512 2 0 3906.2
2005 Q1 184 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 648 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 8 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 1,128 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 896 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 1,064 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 992 0 0 0.0
2003 Q2 1,400 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 272 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 608 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 680 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 320 6 0 18750.0
2002 Q1 8 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 1,384 0 0 0.0
2001 Q2 1,256 4 1 3184.7
2001 Q1 53 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 104 0 0 0.0
2000 Q3 1,032 3 0 2907.0
2000 Q2 1,352 0 0 0.0
2000 Q1 752 3 2 3989.4
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

2 on file

2015 · 1 incident

January 24, 2015 AZ · Metal/Non-Metal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Willcox Rock & Sand Inc · Fall onto or against objects

Slipped and fell on auger while cleaning out wash plant

2011 · 1 incident

October 25, 2011 AZ · Metal/Non-Metal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Willcox Rock & Sand Inc · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Employee was using a pry bar to loosen a rock in the jaw of the crusher, it hit him in the side of the face, fracturing his jaw.