Mining Incidents

PORTABLE CRUSHER: 102 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

NORTHERN AGGREGATE INC. · Surface
Bemidji, Beltrami County, MN  ·  Intermittent
MSHA Mine ID: 2102623

PORTABLE CRUSHER has $49K 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
0
Years on record
Latest incident
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2001
102
citations
31
significant & substantial
$49,269
proposed penalties
$36,072
paid to date
73% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $13,197 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
41
inspections on record
530
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: 530 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.
2
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2025-09-24.
On record since 2012.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.

PORTABLE CRUSHER has $49K 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.
$49K
proposed penalties
$36K
current assessed
$36K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
98 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $24K in penalties contested before the Commission, $10K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-10-08.
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.
31.0%
significant & substantial
8.0%
high negligence or reckless
31.0%
reasonably likely or greater
57.0%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 11.0% low, 81.0% moderate, 8.0% 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.
10 citations taken to the federal commission · 10% of citations on record
  • Settled 6 · 60%
  • Stood as issued 3 · 30%
  • Vacated or withdrawn 1 · 10%
88%
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 8 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
58%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$24K proposed, $10K 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 2014-01-14.
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
LAKE 2014-110M Prevail Rae 2015 $14K → $3K
LAKE 2014-111M Prevail Rae 2015 $9K → $7K
LAKE 2014-182M Dismissal Rae 2014 $392 → $392
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: 2025-09-24
10%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
19
samples
10
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz131 over
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg6
Show the individual readings (19)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2025-09-24 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.73 0.53 1.38 Front-end Loader Operator
2025-09-24 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Crusher Oper/Worker
2023-08-23 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Crusher Oper/Worker
2023-08-23 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2023-08-23 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.17 Crusher Oper/Worker
2020-09-15 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.14 Crusher Oper/Worker
2020-09-15 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2020-09-15 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.12 Front-end Loader Operator
2014-09-24 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.39 1.44 0.27 Front-end Loader Operator
2014-09-24 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.98 2.06 0.48 Crusher Oper/Worker
2006-05-31 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.26 0.7 0.37 Crusher Oper/Worker
2004-06-15 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2004-06-15 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.4 0.72 0.56 Utility Man
2004-06-15 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.13 0.82 0.16 Crusher Oper/Worker
2004-06-15 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.26 0.7 0.37 Front-end Loader Operator
2001-10-11 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.43 2.93 0.15 Front-end Loader Operator
2001-10-11 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.16 0.66 0.24 Utility Man
2001-10-11 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.24 0.4 0.60 Crusher Oper/Worker
2001-10-11 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader 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.
Ownership history
  1. Davidson Construction 1978 to 1987
  2. M & J Construction 1987 to 2001
  3. NORTHERN AGGREGATE INC. 2001 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 3
2025 3
2024 3
2023 3
2022 3
2021 3
2020 3
2019 3
2018 3
2017 3
2016 3
2015 1
2014 5
2013 3
2012 4
2011 3
2008 0
2007 2
2006 3
2005 6
2004 7
2003 7
2002 6
2001 6
2000 0
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

PORTABLE CRUSHER sits in Beltrami County, Minnesota, 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.
Beltrami County, Minnesota · Population 46,421
0.2%
Mining share of county employment
$67,257
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 815 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 0 0 0
2025 Q4 766 1 1 1305.5
2025 Q3 2,075 6 3 2891.6
2025 Q2 0 0 0
2025 Q1 0 0 0
2024 Q4 456 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 2,356 0 0 0.0
Show 83 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 1,266 1 0 789.9
2024 Q1 0 0 0
2023 Q4 1,514 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 2,211 1 1 452.3
2023 Q2 0 0 0
2023 Q1 0 0 0
2022 Q4 163 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 1,972 1 0 507.1
2022 Q2 1,830 0 0 0.0
2022 Q1 0 0 0
2021 Q4 590 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 173 0 0 0.0
2021 Q2 248 0 0 0.0
2021 Q1 0 0 0
2020 Q4 927 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 1,324 2 1 1510.6
2020 Q2 675 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 0 0 0
2019 Q4 868 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 3,227 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 700 0 0 0.0
2019 Q1 0 0 0
2018 Q4 1,406 17 2 12091.0
2018 Q3 2,843 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 775 1 0 1290.3
2018 Q1 0 0 0
2017 Q4 172 1 0 5814.0
2017 Q3 1,493 11 1 7367.7
2017 Q2 1,846 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 0 0 0
2016 Q4 1,743 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 1,508 6 2 3978.8
2016 Q2 736 1 0 1358.7
2016 Q1 0 0 0
2015 Q4 0 0 0
2015 Q3 0 0 0
2015 Q2 2,658 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 0 0 0
2014 Q4 1,742 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 3,015 1 0 331.7
2014 Q2 3,458 7 3 2024.3
2014 Q1 0 0 0
2013 Q4 0 0 0
2013 Q3 3,200 9 7 2812.5
2013 Q2 3,944 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 0 0 0
2012 Q4 890 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 3,082 17 7 5515.9
2012 Q2 3,522 2 0 567.9
2012 Q1 740 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 986 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 2,666 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 2,495 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 0 0 0
2008 Q2 0 0 0
2008 Q1 0 0 0
2007 Q4 1,875 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 2,495 1 0 400.8
2007 Q1 0 0 0
2006 Q4 928 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 2,312 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 2,370 1 0 421.9
2006 Q1 923 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 201 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 2,371 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 2,427 2 0 824.1
2005 Q1 926 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 6,761 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 3,221 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 3,707 7 1 1888.3
2004 Q1 2,239 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 4,180 0 0 0.0
2003 Q2 3,225 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 0 0 0
2002 Q4 2,464 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 2,182 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 2,513 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 1,342 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 2,232 4 1 1792.1
2001 Q2 1,816 0 0 0.0
2000 Q3 0 0 0
2000 Q2 0 0 0
2000 Q1 0 0 0

No reportable incidents on file.

MSHA has no recorded reportable accidents for this mine in the current dataset. New reports appear here within a week of being filed.