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: 510 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Portable Crusher has $82K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 7 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.
$82K
proposed penalties
$70K
current assessed
$70K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
61 assessments are final orders; 7 contested dockets.
Of $79K in penalties contested before the Commission, $67K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2011-03-10.
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.
28citations taken to the federal commission · 45% of citations on record
Settled
24 · 86%
Stood as issued
1 · 4%
Vacated or withdrawn
3 · 11%
92%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 12 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
15%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$79K proposed, $67K 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 A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record.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 2011-08-25.
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: 2002-12-04, 23 years ago
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
3
samples
1
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz1
Respirable dust, <.1mg1
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (3)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2002-12-04
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2002-12-04
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.3
Crusher Oper/Worker
2002-12-04
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.29
1.63
0.18
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.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year
Employees
2013
0
2012
0
2011
2
2010
6
2009
7
2008
7
2007
7
2006
8
2005
6
2004
5
2003
4
2002
5
2001
6
2000
4
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Portable Crusher sits in Whitman County, Washington, where the Census mining category is 0.1% 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.
Whitman County, Washington · Population 47,042
0.1%
Mining share of county employment
$52,893
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
2013 Q1
0
0
0
2012 Q4
0
0
0
2012 Q3
0
0
0
2012 Q2
0
0
0
2012 Q1
0
0
0
2011 Q4
0
0
0
2011 Q3
0
0
0
2011 Q2
1,088
0
0
0.0
Show 45 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2011 Q1
2,181
5
4
2292.5
2010 Q4
2,614
15
6
5738.3
2010 Q3
4,478
4
0
893.3
2010 Q2
2,714
1
0
368.5
2010 Q1
2,107
0
0
0.0
2009 Q4
2,555
3
3
1174.2
2009 Q3
4,248
3
1
706.2
2009 Q2
1,741
0
0
0.0
2009 Q1
9
1
0
111111.1
2008 Q4
2,489
0
0
0.0
2008 Q3
3,881
4
1
1030.7
2008 Q2
4,568
0
0
0.0
2008 Q1
3,172
2
1
630.5
2007 Q4
2,946
0
0
0.0
2007 Q3
4,023
0
0
0.0
2007 Q2
3,340
5
0
1497.0
2007 Q1
2,403
0
0
0.0
2006 Q4
3,220
0
0
0.0
2006 Q3
4,135
0
0
0.0
2006 Q2
3,287
0
0
0.0
2006 Q1
2,642
0
0
0.0
2005 Q4
2,447
0
0
0.0
2005 Q3
3,437
0
0
0.0
2005 Q2
2,489
3
1
1205.3
2005 Q1
2,284
0
0
0.0
2004 Q4
2,344
0
0
0.0
2004 Q3
3,357
0
0
0.0
2004 Q2
1,996
0
0
0.0
2004 Q1
1,930
2
0
1036.3
2003 Q4
1,991
0
0
0.0
2003 Q3
1,992
4
0
2008.0
2003 Q2
1,239
0
0
0.0
2003 Q1
1,503
0
0
0.0
2002 Q4
1,751
4
0
2284.4
2002 Q3
1,855
5
1
2695.4
2002 Q2
1,605
0
0
0.0
2002 Q1
2,082
0
0
0.0
2001 Q4
1,902
0
0
0.0
2001 Q3
2,325
1
0
430.1
2001 Q2
1,891
0
0
0.0
2001 Q1
1,727
0
0
0.0
2000 Q4
2,313
0
0
0.0
2000 Q3
2,107
0
0
0.0
2000 Q2
2,235
0
0
0.0
2000 Q1
1,689
0
0
0.0
Fatalities at this mine
1 recorded
November 30, 2010WA · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techFatality · FALLING/SLIDING/ROLLING MATERIALS
Maintenance was being performed on 10 wheel truck. It appears that the chain slipped causing the truck to fall striking the victim. The victim died from possible internal injuries. Still awaiting Coroner's and MSHA's finding to complete the investigation.
Reportable incidents
9 on file (excluding fatalities above)
2011 · 1 incident
March 2, 2011WA · Metal/Non-Metallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanHANDLING OF MATERIALS
EE called me at home Wednesday evening at about 7:30 PM to tell me his shoulder hurt and he was going to the doctor to have it checked out. After an X-ray, it was decided he had a bone cyst which was causing him pain and the doctor told him not to work for a week. I believe this is not a reportable incident since the shoulder pain is a symptom of the bone cyst.
2010 · 1 incident
November 30, 2010WA · Metal/Non-Metallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanFALLING/SLIDING/ROLLING MATERIALS
Maintenance was being performed on 10 wheel truck. It appears that the chain slipped causing the truck to fall. The truck's tail light apparatus struck the worker on top of the right side of the head causing a laceration, a contusion on the left knee, and a sprained right ankle.
2009 · 3 incidents
November 24, 2009WA · Metal/Non-Metalelectrician, linemanELECTRICAL
Injury opened an electrical panel controlled by the local utility, mistakenly believing it was inactive. He received a shock and fell from the transformer trailer. He received minor burns and a broken vertebral spur from a rock on the ground where he fell.
November 5, 2009WA · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerSTEPPING OR KNEELING ON OBJECT
Employee was aligning machinery on the asphalt plant when the pry bar slipped and hit his right forearm. The swelling and bruising was bad enough that we had his arm X-Rayed for a break. It was only bruising and swelling, no break.
2008 · 1 incident
January 10, 2008WA · Metal/Non-Metallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanHANDLING OF MATERIALS
While moving an aluminum deck extension for a trailer, EE dropped the plate on his left foot. The imact broke two toes. He wheres a brace on his foot to keep the toes immobile while he works.
February 1, 2007WA · Metal/Non-Metalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Shawnee Rock Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Employee was setting a tail-pully assembly into the adjusting bracket, when the pully slipped out of his hands. The pully pinched his finger requiring eight stitches.
We were digging out the inside rear area of a conveyor for about 1.5 hours with rear side guards removed for access. EE motioned to start the belt. Within a minute of the belt starting, EE was struck by a bar which was caught in the winged tail pulley. EE suffered cuts on neck and forehead requiring stitches, and torn ligaments in his left shoulder (surgery).