Mining Incidents

PLANT #3: 103 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Controlled by Greg Bruening
Decorah, Winneshiek County, IA  ·  Intermittent
MSHA Mine ID: 1300010

PLANT #3 has $33K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 3 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
1998
Latest incident
Oct 1998
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
103
citations
36
significant & substantial
$32,680
proposed penalties
$32,680
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
43
inspections on record
571
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: 571 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
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: 2019-06-19.
On record since 2019.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.

PLANT #3 has $33K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 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.
$33K
proposed penalties
$33K
current assessed
$33K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
102 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $4K in penalties contested before the Commission, $4K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-12-02.
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.
35.3%
significant & substantial
9.8%
high negligence or reckless
35.3%
reasonably likely or greater
63.7%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 17.6% low, 72.5% moderate, 9.8% 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 · 7% of citations on record
  • Settled 1 · 14%
  • Stood as issued 6 · 86%
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 7 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$4K proposed, $4K 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 2017-09-06.
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 2017-0489 Settlement Miller 2018 $2K → $2K
CENT 2009-659M Default Lesnick 2011 $1K → $1K
CENT 2006-106M Default Lesnick 2006 $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: 2025-03-19
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
30
samples
23
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz12
  • Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz8
  • Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz5
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg5
Show the individual readings (30)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2025-03-19 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Truck Driver
2023-12-19 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.37 Truck Driver
2023-12-19 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.28 Truck Driver
2020-02-19 Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz 2.71 10 0.27 Truck Driver
2020-02-19 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2020-02-19 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Truck Driver
2020-02-19 Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz 4.23 10 0.42 Truck Driver
2016-04-26 Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz 1.6 10 0.16 Truck Driver
2016-04-26 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2016-04-26 Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz 2.15 10 0.22 Truck Driver
2016-04-26 Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz 2.03 10 0.20 Truck Driver
2015-04-07 Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.26 10 0.03 Truck Driver
2015-04-07 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.39 2.38 0.16 Truck Driver
2015-04-07 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.33 1.88 0.18 Truck Driver
2015-04-07 Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.25 10 0.03 Truck Driver
2012-04-04 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.13 1.33 0.10 Supervisor, Co. Official
2012-04-04 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2012-04-04 Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.25 10 0.03 Truck Driver
2012-04-04 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.39 1.96 0.20 Truck Driver
2007-05-16 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.15 1.47 0.10 Cleanup Man
2007-05-16 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 1.17 1.51 0.77 Truck Driver
2003-10-21 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.71 0.88 0.81 Crusher Oper/Worker
2003-10-21 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.54 0.8 0.68 Truck Driver
2003-10-21 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.43 0.73 0.59 Truck Driver
2003-10-21 Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.14 10 0.01 Front-end Loader Operator
2002-06-05 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.48 3.06 0.16 Truck Driver
2002-06-05 Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.47 10 0.05 Front-end Loader Operator
2002-06-05 Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.21 10 0.02 Truck Driver
2002-06-05 Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.19 10 0.02 Truck Driver
2002-06-05 Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.24 10 0.02 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.
Ownership history
  1. Bruening Rock Products Inc 1994 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 6
2025 6
2024 5
2023 5
2022 5
2021 6
2020 7
2019 5
2018 7
2017 7
2016 7
2015 5
2014 6
2013 6
2012 7
2011 8
2010 6
2009 7
2008 7
2007 6
2006 6
2005 7
2004 7
2003 7
2002 7
2001 5
2000 6
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

PLANT #3 sits in Winneshiek County, Iowa, 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.
Winneshiek County, Iowa · Population 19,972
0.2%
Mining share of county employment
$75,652
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 2,088 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 104 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 1,869 3 0 1605.1
2025 Q3 2,332 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 1,844 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 1,324 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 1,960 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 2,116 0 0 0.0
Show 98 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 1,799 0 0 0.0
2024 Q1 0 0 0
2023 Q4 2,506 1 0 399.0
2023 Q3 2,546 0 0 0.0
2023 Q2 2,717 3 1 1104.2
2023 Q1 0 0 0
2022 Q4 2,137 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 2,565 1 0 389.9
2022 Q2 1,922 0 0 0.0
2022 Q1 0 0 0
2021 Q4 2,116 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 2,203 0 0 0.0
2021 Q2 2,534 1 0 394.6
2021 Q1 419 2 1 4773.3
2020 Q4 2,162 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 3,203 6 1 1873.2
2020 Q2 2,921 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 2,503 3 1 1198.6
2019 Q4 2,751 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 3,053 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 2,252 6 3 2664.3
2019 Q1 0 0 0
2018 Q4 3,135 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 2,158 1 0 463.4
2018 Q2 2,225 1 0 449.4
2018 Q1 775 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 2,135 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 3,285 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 3,005 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 767 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 2,537 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 3,118 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 1,559 4 2 2565.7
2016 Q1 349 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 3,756 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 4,827 3 3 621.5
2015 Q2 2,147 4 0 1863.1
2015 Q1 0 0 0
2014 Q4 3,188 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 3,572 6 2 1679.7
2014 Q2 3,888 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 12 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 3,888 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 5,226 2 1 382.7
2013 Q2 2,423 2 1 825.4
2013 Q1 12 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 4,240 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 4,753 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 3,972 7 2 1762.3
2012 Q1 658 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 4,292 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 4,508 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 4,506 2 1 443.9
2011 Q1 821 4 2 4872.1
2010 Q4 3,932 0 0 0.0
2010 Q3 3,876 1 0 258.0
2010 Q2 3,446 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 12 0 0 0.0
2009 Q4 3,545 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 4,714 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 5,090 7 2 1375.2
2009 Q1 3,102 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 3,759 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 5,622 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 5,191 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 776 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 5,187 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 4,828 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 4,515 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 13 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 3,983 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 4,892 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 4,665 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 13 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 4,236 9 5 2124.6
2005 Q3 5,137 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 4,861 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 4,847 3 3 618.9
2004 Q4 4,661 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 4,501 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 4,147 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 540 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 4,876 4 1 820.3
2003 Q3 4,024 0 0 0.0
2003 Q2 2,735 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 2,977 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 5,026 2 1 397.9
2002 Q3 4,879 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 5,457 5 0 916.3
2002 Q1 2,454 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 4,555 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 4,961 5 1 1007.9
2001 Q2 3,387 0 0 0.0
2001 Q1 13 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 4,463 0 0 0.0
2000 Q3 5,005 1 0 199.8
2000 Q2 3,663 0 0 0.0
2000 Q1 167 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

1998 · 1 incident

October 19, 1998 IA · Metal/Non-Metal haul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driver NONPOWERED HAULAGE
Bruening Rock Products Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

DID NOT BLOCK WHEELS ON PUMP TRAILER WHEN UNHITCHED FROM TRUCK TRAILER STARTED ROLLING AND TRIED TO STOP BY GRABBING HITCH. RT HAND WAS CAUGHT BETWEEN HITCH AND GROUND AS HE SET DOWN. RESULT W AS SMALL LACERATION AND SOME SWELLING. NOT SERIOUS AT ALL BUT DR WANTED NO WORK UNTIL SWELLING WENT DOWN.