Pleasant Valley Mine has $25K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 2 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
12
Years on record
1989–2025
Latest incident
Dec 2025
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
161
citations
22
significant & substantial
$24,579
proposed penalties
$24,579
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
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: 703 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Pleasant Valley Mine has $25K 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.
$25K
proposed penalties
$25K
current assessed
$25K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
160 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $245 in penalties contested before the Commission, $118 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-10-16.
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.
2citations taken to the federal commission · 1% of citations on record
Stood as issued
2 · 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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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%
52%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$245 proposed, $118 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 2019-05-22.
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: 2020-02-04, 6 years ago
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
11
samples
9
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz5
Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz3
Respirable dust, <.1mg2
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (11)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2020-02-04
Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz
0.99
10
0.10
Crusher Oper/Worker
2012-11-20
Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz
1.11
10
0.11
Cleanup Man
2012-11-20
Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz
0.93
10
0.09
Hammer Mill Operator
2004-02-11
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.73
10
0.07
Crusher Oper/Worker
2004-02-11
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.86
10
0.09
Crusher Oper/Worker
2004-02-11
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Laborer, Bullgang
2004-02-11
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.48
3.07
0.16
Crusher Oper/Worker
2004-02-11
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.17
10
0.02
Laborer, Bullgang
2001-06-06
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.37
10
0.04
Hammer Mill Operator
2001-06-06
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.18
10
0.02
Truck Driver
2001-06-06
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Backhoe Operator
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.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year
Employees
2026
10
2025
9
2024
7
2020
4
2019
5
2018
4
2017
5
2016
4
2015
4
2014
4
2013
3
2012
3
2011
3
2010
3
2009
3
2008
4
2007
4
2006
4
2005
4
2004
4
2003
3
2002
3
2001
3
2000
3
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Pleasant Valley Mine sits in Webster County, Iowa, where the Census mining category is 0.6% 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.
Webster County, Iowa · Population 36,848
0.6%
Mining share of county employment
$68,054
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
5,442
0
0
0.0
2026 Q1
5,375
0
0
0.0
2025 Q4
5,231
1
0
191.2
2025 Q3
4,921
4
0
812.8
2025 Q2
2,738
0
0
0.0
2025 Q1
1,012
0
0
0.0
2024 Q4
1,119
0
0
0.0
2024 Q3
2,529
4
1
1581.7
Show 81 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2
2,163
0
0
0.0
2020 Q2
1,778
0
0
0.0
2020 Q1
2,923
3
1
1026.3
2019 Q4
2,995
0
0
0.0
2019 Q3
3,109
4
0
1286.6
2019 Q2
3,706
0
0
0.0
2019 Q1
2,908
1
1
343.9
2018 Q4
2,834
2
0
705.7
2018 Q3
2,772
1
0
360.8
2018 Q2
3,290
3
0
911.9
2018 Q1
2,534
2
0
789.3
2017 Q4
3,992
0
0
0.0
2017 Q3
2,505
0
0
0.0
2017 Q2
2,323
0
0
0.0
2017 Q1
2,865
1
0
349.0
2016 Q4
3,059
0
0
0.0
2016 Q3
2,244
0
0
0.0
2016 Q2
2,120
0
0
0.0
2016 Q1
2,297
3
1
1306.1
2015 Q4
1,974
0
0
0.0
2015 Q3
2,116
4
2
1890.4
2015 Q2
1,965
0
0
0.0
2015 Q1
2,127
6
1
2820.9
2014 Q4
2,142
0
0
0.0
2014 Q3
2,388
0
0
0.0
2014 Q2
2,594
1
1
385.5
2014 Q1
2,062
0
0
0.0
2013 Q4
2,447
3
1
1226.0
2013 Q3
2,519
0
0
0.0
2013 Q2
2,213
0
0
0.0
2013 Q1
1,776
7
1
3941.4
2012 Q4
2,143
3
3
1399.9
2012 Q3
1,960
0
0
0.0
2012 Q2
1,541
3
0
1946.8
2012 Q1
2,092
0
0
0.0
2011 Q4
2,081
6
0
2883.2
2011 Q3
2,057
0
0
0.0
2011 Q2
1,989
1
0
502.8
2011 Q1
2,269
0
0
0.0
2010 Q4
2,043
1
0
489.5
2010 Q3
2,030
5
0
2463.1
2010 Q2
1,832
0
0
0.0
2010 Q1
2,102
3
1
1427.2
2009 Q4
1,936
0
0
0.0
2009 Q3
1,946
1
1
513.9
2009 Q2
1,926
0
0
0.0
2009 Q1
2,088
1
1
478.9
2008 Q4
2,615
0
0
0.0
2008 Q3
2,716
0
0
0.0
2008 Q2
2,591
1
0
386.0
2008 Q1
3,077
2
0
650.0
2007 Q4
3,007
0
0
0.0
2007 Q3
3,230
2
0
619.2
2007 Q2
3,239
0
0
0.0
2007 Q1
2,807
0
0
0.0
2006 Q4
2,957
3
0
1014.5
2006 Q3
3,051
0
0
0.0
2006 Q2
2,996
1
1
333.8
2006 Q1
3,119
4
2
1282.5
2005 Q4
2,808
0
0
0.0
2005 Q3
2,947
0
0
0.0
2005 Q2
2,954
0
0
0.0
2005 Q1
2,947
4
0
1357.3
2004 Q4
2,789
0
0
0.0
2004 Q3
2,789
0
0
0.0
2004 Q2
2,861
0
0
0.0
2004 Q1
2,586
5
1
1933.5
2003 Q4
2,555
0
0
0.0
2003 Q3
2,539
0
0
0.0
2003 Q2
2,172
0
0
0.0
2003 Q1
2,819
2
0
709.5
2002 Q4
2,594
0
0
0.0
2002 Q3
2,197
0
0
0.0
2002 Q2
2,256
0
0
0.0
2002 Q1
2,407
0
0
0.0
2001 Q4
2,393
0
0
0.0
2001 Q3
2,175
0
0
0.0
2001 Q2
1,767
5
0
2829.7
2001 Q1
2,504
0
0
0.0
2000 Q2
2,722
0
0
0.0
2000 Q1
2,897
6
0
2071.1
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
12 on file
2025 · 1 incident
December 15, 2025IA · Metal/Non-Metalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorFALLING/SLIDING/ROLLING MATERIALS
While service tech was performing the pre-shift maintenance the crusher. Exc opr was standing near the crusher 4-5 ft away in the area previously cleaned by the excavator, near rock pile. While EE was waiting for others to finish cleaning, A large rock slid off and struck the employee's right foot and caused two fracture and laceration.
2018 · 1 incident
January 2, 2018IA · Metal/Non-Metalminer, prospector, necOTHER
Employee was cleaning a screw conveyor. Employee had just returned to conveyor after taking a break to warm up. Employee collapsed and was unresponsive. 911 call was made & CPR was started and continued until EMT's took over.
2010 · 1 incident
August 19, 2010IA · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerOTHER
Employee was running the dozer and had an apparent heart attack and dozer traveled 715 feet into a pond and submerged the dozer. Employee was extracted from the dozer shortly after entering the water and CPR was administered. He was taken by ambulance to the local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
2008 · 1 incident
January 30, 2008IA · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
EE slipped on the ice and fell backward, striking the back of his head on the ice covering the ground. He received 7 stitches to the back of his head. There was no lost time. No restrictions. He returned to normal duty his next shift.
2007 · 2 incidents
June 2, 2007IA · Metal/Non-Metalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorELECTRICAL
Operator was attemting to start south raymond mill exhauster fan via 480-v disconnect. Operator pulled disconnect and an arc flash occurred. Operator received burn to right forearm.
April 27, 2007IA · Metal/Non-Metalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Raw Grind Operator was shoveling fine from rock run into the secondary crusher hopper. Operator felt a sharp pain in lower back while lifting a shovel of gypsum fines.
2006 · 1 incident
February 15, 2006IA · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Mechanic was changing oil on a haul truck. You have to let down the belly pan to gain access to the filter. The pan was full of mud and was heavier than normal, falling and striking the mechanics wrist and bending it backward.
2005 · 2 incidents
October 20, 2005IA · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techOTHER
HIT A CHISEL WITH HAMMER AND A PIECE OF BEARING FLECKED OUT AND HIT HIM IN THE CHEEK REQUIRING ONE STITCH.
1998 · 1 incident
June 4, 1998IA · Metal/Non-Metalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
GETTING OF TRUCK AND SLIPPED. HE HIT HIS RIGHT LEG ON THE STEP OF THE TRUCK, CUTTING HIS SHIN WHICH REQUIRED STITCHES.
1991 · 1 incident
December 27, 1991IA · Metal/Non-Metalhaul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driverSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON