Mining Incidents

PIT #1: 1 recorded fatality Metal/Non-Metal

Controlled by J R Ford
Pagosa Springs, Archuleta County, CO  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 0504525

PIT #1 has $971 in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 2 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
1
Total incidents
1
Years on record
1999
Latest incident
Jul 1999
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2001
16
citations
4
significant & substantial
$971
proposed penalties
$971
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2001
7
inspections on record
54
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: 54 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

PIT #1 has $971 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.
$971
proposed penalties
$971
current assessed
$971
paid to date
$0
outstanding
16 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $65K in penalties contested before the Commission, $40K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2001-05-09.
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.
25.0%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
25.0%
reasonably likely or greater
6.2%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 68.8% low, 31.2% 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
WEST20000633M Settlement Cetti 2001 $35K → $28K
WEST20000634M Settlement Cetti 2001 $30K → $12K
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. Pagosa Cattle Company Inc 1993 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2004 0
2003 1
2002 2
2001 3
2000 4
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

PIT #1 sits in Archuleta County, Colorado, where the Census mining category is 1.9% 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.
Archuleta County, Colorado · Population 13,730
1.9%
Mining share of county employment
$76,524
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
2004 Q3 0 0 0
2004 Q2 0 0 0
2004 Q1 0 0 0
2003 Q4 0 0 0
2003 Q3 0 0 0
2003 Q2 0 0 0
2003 Q1 244 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 0 0 0
Show 9 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2002 Q1 462 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 3 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 268 0 0 0.0
2001 Q2 987 16 4 16210.7
2001 Q1 233 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 1,212 0 0 0.0
2000 Q3 337 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 16 0 0 0.0
2000 Q1 680 0 0 0.0

Fatalities at this mine

1 recorded
July 7, 1999 CO · Metal/Non-Metal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech Fatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Pagosa Cattle Company Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

WHILE WORKING WITHIN ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF A FRONT END LOADER THE HOOD FELL, CATCHING THE MAN BETWEEN THE REAR FRAME AND HOOD SIDE CAUSING FATAL CRUSHING INJURIES.