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Plant 280: 1 recorded fatality Metal/Non-Metal

Controlled by Jason Bowes
Brookings, Brookings County, SD  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 3901505

Plant 280 has $143K in proposed MSHA penalties and $7K outstanding across 3 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
1
Total incidents
2
Years on record
2023–2024
Latest incident
Aug 2024
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2006
108
citations
20
significant & substantial
$143,044
proposed penalties
$65,065
paid to date
45% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $77,979 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Bowes Construction Inc's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2006
33
inspections on record
854
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: 854 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Plant 280 has $143K in proposed MSHA penalties and $7K outstanding across 3 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.
$143K
proposed penalties
$73K
current assessed
$65K
paid to date
$7K
outstanding
99 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $100K in penalties contested before the Commission, $30K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-07-08.
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.
18.7%
significant & substantial
14.0%
high negligence or reckless
18.7%
reasonably likely or greater
47.7%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 4.7% low, 81.3% moderate, 14.0% 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.
7 citations taken to the federal commission · 6% of citations on record
  • Settled 7 · 100%
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 6 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
70%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$100K proposed, $30K 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 2024-05-15.
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
CENT 2024-0217 Settlement Simonton 2025 $97K → $26K
CENT 2009-704M Settlement Lesnick 2010 $2K → $2K
CENT 2009-705M Settlement Lesnick 2010 $1K → $1K
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: 2026-03-25
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
12
samples
8
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz8
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg4
Show the individual readings (12)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2026-03-25 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.16 0.73 0.22 Cleanup Man
2024-10-22 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.36 1.02 0.35 Utility Man
2024-10-22 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.41 0.76 0.54 Utility Man
2024-04-03 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Crusher Oper/Worker
2019-04-03 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Crusher Oper/Worker
2019-04-03 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.22 0.73 0.30 Crusher Oper/Worker
2019-04-03 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Bulldozer Operator
2019-04-03 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.24 0.78 0.31 Crusher Oper/Worker
2012-04-18 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.37 0.92 0.40 Crusher Oper/Worker
2008-08-20 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.26 0.7 0.37 Front-end Loader Operator
2008-08-20 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.16 0.63 0.25 Crusher Oper/Worker
2006-05-03 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator

Area samples (mill and shop air)

Last sampled: 2014-07-08, 12 years ago
2
samples
Show the individual readings (2)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Area sampled
2014-07-08 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 SF ACTIVE MINING
2014-07-08 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 SF ACTIVE MINING
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. Bowes Construction Inc 2005 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 5
2025 5
2024 4
2023 4
2022 3
2021 3
2020 4
2019 3
2018 4
2017 3
2016 3
2015 3
2014 3
2013 3
2012 3
2011 3
2010 0
2009 1
2008 1
2007 1
2006 2
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Plant 280 sits in Brookings County, South Dakota, where the Census mining category is 0.2% 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.
Brookings County, South Dakota · Population 34,968
0.2%
Mining share of county employment
$67,341
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 2,860 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 2,029 9 0 4435.7
2025 Q4 2,652 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 2,587 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 2,488 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 1,395 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 2,581 5 3 1937.2
2024 Q3 2,199 0 0 0.0
Show 70 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 2,506 18 1 7182.8
2024 Q1 0 3 3
2023 Q4 3,910 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 1,558 6 2 3851.1
2023 Q2 1,164 1 0 859.1
2023 Q1 0 0 0
2022 Q4 2,615 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 2,524 0 0 0.0
2022 Q2 2,161 0 0 0.0
2022 Q1 44 6 0 136363.6
2021 Q4 370 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 2,940 4 0 1360.5
2021 Q2 1,946 0 0 0.0
2021 Q1 0 0 0
2020 Q4 4,039 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 1,684 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 2,079 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 120 4 0 33333.3
2019 Q4 420 1 0 2381.0
2019 Q3 1,328 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 1,350 3 0 2222.2
2019 Q1 387 0 0 0.0
2018 Q4 1,200 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 1,940 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 3,221 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 1,150 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 2,172 5 1 2302.0
2017 Q3 2,736 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 1,694 1 0 590.3
2017 Q1 334 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 820 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 1,233 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 906 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 898 2 0 2227.2
2015 Q4 1,888 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 1,224 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 884 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 0 0 0
2014 Q4 394 9 1 22842.6
2014 Q3 1,476 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 2,398 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 0 0 0
2013 Q4 1,094 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 1,109 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 581 4 2 6884.7
2013 Q1 0 0 0
2012 Q4 538 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 1,030 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 1,999 2 0 1000.5
2012 Q1 0 0 0
2011 Q4 681 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 391 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 0 0 0
2010 Q1 0 0 0
2009 Q4 0 0 0
2009 Q3 510 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 582 9 5 15463.9
2009 Q1 0 0 0
2008 Q4 0 0 0
2008 Q3 625 7 2 11200.0
2008 Q2 0 0 0
2008 Q1 0 0 0
2007 Q4 0 0 0
2007 Q3 650 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 600 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 0 0 0
2006 Q4 1,025 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 600 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 350 1 0 2857.1
2006 Q1 0 0 0

Fatalities at this mine

1 recorded
May 2, 2023 SD · Metal/Non-Metal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman Fatality · POWERED HAULAGE
Bowes Construction Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

Miner was found to be ran over by a stacker while crushing at our East Pit. Miner was deceased when found by other miners.

Reportable incidents

1 on file (excluding fatalities above)

2024 · 1 incident

August 19, 2024 SD · Metal/Non-Metal warehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operator HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Bowes Construction Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

A Miner was taking down a portable plant. The leg on CR11 was being lifted with skid loader and got stuck so the miner was trying to get it free. Pinched hands between the fork and leg of CR11. Miner had proper gloves and PPE. Resulted in 2 fractured fingers on left hand and stitches on finger on right hand.