Penny Creek Rock Products has $51K in proposed MSHA penalties and $6K outstanding across 4 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
8
Years on record
2001–2011
Latest incident
Oct 2011
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
187
citations
53
significant & substantial
$50,961
proposed penalties
$39,196
paid to date
77% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $11,765 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
73
inspections on record
1,357
inspection hours
13.8
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.
187 citations across 1,357 inspection hours.
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: 2016-07-28.
On record since 2016.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
Penny Creek Rock Products has $51K in proposed MSHA penalties and $6K 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.
$51K
proposed penalties
$45K
current assessed
$39K
paid to date
$6K
outstanding
181 assessments are final orders; 4 contested dockets.
Of $19K in penalties contested before the Commission, $13K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-06-09.
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.
13citations taken to the federal commission · 7% of citations on record
Settled
13 · 100%
83%
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 6 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
33%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$17K proposed, $12K 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 2014-07-08.
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: 2025-01-28
11
samples
0
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Respirable dust, <.1mg6
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz4
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (11)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2025-01-28
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Backhoe Operator
2025-01-28
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2019-10-30
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Supervisor, Co. Official
2019-10-30
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.18
Mechanic
2018-12-18
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.19
Crusher Oper/Worker
2018-12-18
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2015-02-24
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.19
Front-end Loader Operator
2009-11-19
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.15
Front-end Loader Operator
2009-01-29
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2002-03-06
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.12
Crusher Oper/Worker
2002-03-06
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
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.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year
Employees
2026
3
2025
3
2024
2
2023
4
2022
4
2021
5
2020
5
2019
6
2018
6
2017
5
2016
4
2015
5
2014
6
2013
8
2012
6
2011
7
2010
6
2009
7
2008
7
2007
7
2006
7
2005
6
2004
5
2003
6
2002
5
2001
5
2000
4
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Penny Creek Rock Products sits in Jefferson County, Washington, where the Census mining category is 0.0% 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.
Jefferson County, Washington · Population 33,313
0.0%
Mining share of county employment
$71,143
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
At about 9:30 AM an employee started a fire in the Earth Stove in the shop. The stove pipe was defective and subsequently started an un-contained fire at the back of the shop. The incident was reported to MSHA in a timely manner. The maintenance shop was a total loss. There were no rules violated, no mining equipment involved, no related job skills and did not involve PPE.
The main cause of the accident was failure of rear brakes on the haul truck. This was the first trip with this haul truck bringing a load down the hill.
March 25, 2005WA · Metal/Non-Metallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
EMPLOYEE WAS LIFTING METAL PARTS TO BE PLACED IN LOADER BUCKET TO BE TRANSFERED TO A DIFFERENT PART OF QUARRY. HE APPARENTLY LIFTED OR TWISTED WHILE LIFTING.