Mining Incidents

Planta Garrochales: 107 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Controlled by Jaime (Rodriguez) Dorta
Arecibo, Arecibo County, PR  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 5400449

Planta Garrochales has $31K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
2020
Latest incident
Aug 2020
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2003
107
citations
36
significant & substantial
$31,044
proposed penalties
$31,044
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2003
143
inspections on record
1,083
inspection hours
9.9
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.
107 citations across 1,083 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Planta Garrochales has $31K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 1 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.
$31K
proposed penalties
$31K
current assessed
$31K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
106 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $9K in penalties contested before the Commission, $9K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-04-09.
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.
34.0%
significant & substantial
17.9%
high negligence or reckless
34.9%
reasonably likely or greater
82.1%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 1.9% low, 80.2% moderate, 17.9% 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.
1 citations taken to the federal commission · 1% of citations on record
  • Settled 1 · 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 1 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$9K proposed, $9K 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 2014-05-06.
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
SE 2014-0278 Settlement Lesnick 2014 $9K → $9K
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: 2025-10-07
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
21
samples
13
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz10
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg6
  • Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz3
  • Unlisted Particulate, total, <1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (21)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2025-10-07 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2025-10-07 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Truck Driver
2023-11-29 Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz 0.15 10 0.02 Backhoe Operator
2023-11-29 Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz 0.47 10 0.05 Crusher Oper/Worker
2022-11-29 Unlisted Particulate, total, <1% Qtz 0.24 Front-end Loader Operator
2022-11-29 Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.81 10 0.08 Crusher Oper/Worker
2021-11-01 Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz 7.78 10 0.78 Crusher Oper/Worker
2020-10-07 Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.55 10 0.06 Crusher Oper/Worker
2020-10-07 Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.12 10 0.01 Laborer, Bullgang
2020-10-07 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Crusher Oper/Worker
2020-06-09 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Backhoe Operator
2020-06-09 Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz 3.6 10 0.36 Crusher Oper/Worker
2020-06-09 Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz 0.55 10 0.06 Crusher Oper/Worker
2018-11-29 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.22 Crusher Oper/Worker
2015-11-17 Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz 7.84 10 0.78 Crusher Oper/Worker
2015-11-17 Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz 0 10 0.00 Front-end Loader Operator
2015-11-17 Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz 0.75 10 0.08 Backhoe Operator
2015-11-17 Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz 0.75 10 0.08 Crusher Oper/Worker
2014-10-08 Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz 2.19 10 0.22 Crusher Oper/Worker
2011-08-30 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Crusher Oper/Worker
2003-10-29 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 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.

Planta Garrochales 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 Puerto Rico, metal and nonmetal mining averaged 2.64 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 * 6.69 6.69 0.000
2019 * 0.00 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.
Ownership history
  1. Agregados Piedra Blanca Inc 2003 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 13
2025 14
2024 15
2023 14
2022 16
2021 19
2020 17
2019 15
2018 15
2017 13
2016 11
2015 13
2014 15
2013 14
2012 7
2011 7
2010 5
2009 0
2008 5
2007 5
2006 4
2005 5
2004 5
2003 5
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Planta Garrochales sits in Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico, 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.
Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico · Population 86,875
0.0%
Mining share of county employment
$23,175
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 7,024 1 1 142.4
2026 Q1 5,738 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 7,449 2 0 268.5
2025 Q3 7,253 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 7,513 3 1 399.3
2025 Q1 6,104 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 7,533 3 0 398.2
2024 Q3 6,244 0 0 0.0
Show 85 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 6,706 4 0 596.5
2024 Q1 6,959 0 0 0.0
2023 Q4 6,659 3 0 450.5
2023 Q3 7,712 5 1 648.3
2023 Q2 7,156 0 0 0.0
2023 Q1 7,146 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 8,608 2 1 232.3
2022 Q3 6,941 0 0 0.0
2022 Q2 7,340 2 1 272.5
2022 Q1 7,336 0 0 0.0
2021 Q4 9,345 4 2 428.0
2021 Q3 8,914 0 0 0.0
2021 Q2 9,135 2 0 218.9
2021 Q1 10,040 0 0 0.0
2020 Q4 10,579 3 2 283.6
2020 Q3 8,148 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 5,788 4 1 691.1
2020 Q1 5,402 0 0 0.0
2019 Q4 6,794 3 1 441.6
2019 Q3 7,026 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 6,774 5 1 738.1
2019 Q1 6,088 0 0 0.0
2018 Q4 7,489 9 3 1201.8
2018 Q3 5,993 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 6,820 2 0 293.3
2018 Q1 6,195 1 0 161.4
2017 Q4 5,540 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 4,793 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 4,838 2 1 413.4
2017 Q1 4,641 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 4,497 2 0 444.7
2016 Q3 4,358 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 4,193 1 0 238.5
2016 Q1 4,456 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 4,297 5 1 1163.6
2015 Q3 4,567 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 5,277 1 0 189.5
2015 Q1 4,786 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 4,700 1 1 212.8
2014 Q3 5,497 4 2 727.7
2014 Q2 5,500 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 6,243 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 4,781 1 1 209.2
2013 Q3 5,228 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 5,526 3 0 542.9
2013 Q1 5,984 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 2,053 3 1 1461.3
2012 Q3 2,593 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 2,966 4 4 1348.6
2012 Q1 1,869 1 0 535.0
2011 Q4 2,190 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 2,848 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 2,699 3 1 1111.5
2011 Q1 2,634 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 2,712 1 0 368.7
2010 Q3 2,321 3 0 1292.5
2010 Q2 280 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 0 0 0
2009 Q4 0 0 0
2009 Q3 0 0 0
2009 Q2 0 0 0
2009 Q1 0 0 0
2008 Q4 800 2 1 2500.0
2008 Q3 1,656 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 2,264 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 1,863 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 1,935 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 2,001 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 1,378 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 1,327 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 1,359 1 0 735.8
2006 Q3 1,231 2 1 1624.7
2006 Q2 1,288 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 1,458 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 2,028 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 2,128 1 0 469.9
2005 Q2 2,008 3 3 1494.0
2005 Q1 1,536 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 1,888 1 1 529.7
2004 Q3 2,530 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 1,704 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 1,992 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 2,504 2 1 798.7
2003 Q3 1,640 2 2 1219.5
2003 Q2 1,728 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2020 · 1 incident