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: 863 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.
3
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2021-02-02.
On record since 2013.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
Plant #5 has $44K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 6 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.
$44K
proposed penalties
$27K
current assessed
$27K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
69 assessments are final orders; 6 contested dockets.
Of $33K in penalties contested before the Commission, $8K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-04-07.
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.
9citations taken to the federal commission · 12% of citations on record
Settled
1 · 11%
Stood as issued
2 · 22%
Vacated or withdrawn
6 · 67%
43%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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%
74%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$33K proposed, $8K 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 2021-05-04.
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: 2021-02-02, 5 years ago
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
13
samples
9
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz7
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz3
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz2
Respirable dust, <.1mg1
Show the individual readings (13)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2021-02-02
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz
1.31
10
0.13
Sampler, Dust
2021-02-02
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz
2.13
10
0.21
Laborer, Bullgang
2017-01-11
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.28
0.75
0.37
Oiler, Greaser
2017-01-11
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.37
1.01
0.37
Lab Technician
2017-01-11
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.26
0.81
0.32
Crusher Oper/Worker
2014-04-02
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.34
2.24
0.15
Supervisor, Co. Official
2014-04-02
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.71
Crusher Oper/Worker
2014-04-02
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.66
2.28
0.29
Lab Technician
2009-12-22
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.29
Crusher Oper/Worker
2009-12-22
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Bulldozer Operator
2009-12-22
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.36
Laborer, Bullgang
2006-01-24
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.76
1.06
0.72
Cleanup Man
2006-01-24
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.39
0.9
0.43
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.
Plant #5 recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2025.
Injury rate, 2025
ⓘThis rate is reportable injury cases per 100 full-time-equivalent workers per year, computed as 200,000 times cases divided by MSHA operator-reported employee-hours. Cases are injuries MSHA graded degree 01 through 07; accident-only events that hurt no one are excluded, and so are contractor injuries, whose hours do not attach to a single mine. Rates begin in 2000, when quarterly employment reporting starts, and are withheld below 20,000 hours in a year.
0.00
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Below average. The US metal and nonmetal mining average was 1.65 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
In Idaho, metal and nonmetal mining averaged 2.26 cases per 100 workers that year.
Under 100,000 employee-hours were reported that year, so a single case moves the rate by two or more. Read the figure as approximate.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2025 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2024 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2023 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2022 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2021 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2020 *
19.36
12.90
0.000
2019 *
7.01
0.00
0.000
2018 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
* Fewer than 100,000 employee-hours that year; the rate is less stable.
Source: injury cases from MSHA accident and injury records; employee-hours from MSHA quarterly employment reports. Rate is cases per 100 full-time-equivalent workers, operator employees only.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year
Employees
2026
26
2025
19
2024
18
2023
17
2022
17
2021
18
2020
20
2019
18
2018
16
2017
19
2016
15
2015
14
2014
16
2013
18
2012
20
2011
19
2010
12
2009
10
2008
12
2007
11
2006
10
2005
8
2004
4
2001
0
2000
2
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Plant #5 sits in Nez Perce County, Idaho, where the Census mining category is 0.4% 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.
Nez Perce County, Idaho · Population 42,477
0.4%
Mining share of county employment
$71,466
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
During Teardown of the loadout bunker one of the legs got hung up. They were using a pry bar to release the tension, the bar slid off the leg and it slid down on the pedestal. EE had put hand on the pedestal to move it as the bar slid off crushing EE's 4 fingers.
August 17, 2020ID · Metal/Non-Metalgreaser, grease man, oiler, lube man, dragline oilerSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
the employee was sitting on the load out bunker belt preparing to hang the remote. when EE pushed the button and sending EE off the belt. employee fell (Flew) 18 feet to ground. broken wrist, nose and chipped 2 teeth.
January 16, 2020ID · Metal/Non-Metalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Employee was going to strap rock that was stuck in cone, the plant man ran the cone cleanout backwards causing the rock to fracture. Part of the rock struck employee in the face.
2012 · 1 incident
December 11, 2012ID · Metal/Non-Metalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Employee was closing the rolls when he walked outside of the designated catwalk and stepped on to a belt guard that was slick causing him to fall 12 feet to the ground. He broke his left leg and his nose when he hit the ground.
1994 · 1 incident
September 12, 1994ID · Metal/Non-Metalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorELECTRICAL