Mining Incidents

Portable Sand Plant #1: 93 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Controlled by Dale Tiefenthaler
Lake City, Carroll County, IA  ·  Intermittent
MSHA Mine ID: 1302120

Portable Sand Plant #1 has $15K 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
2
Years on record
1993–1994
Latest incident
Aug 1994
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
93
citations
20
significant & substantial
$14,550
proposed penalties
$14,233
paid to date
98% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $317 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
44
inspections on record
368
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: 368 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 Sand Plant #1 has $15K 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.
$15K
proposed penalties
$14K
current assessed
$14K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
92 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $1K in penalties contested before the Commission, $738 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2022-07-18.
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.
21.7%
significant & substantial
3.3%
high negligence or reckless
21.7%
reasonably likely or greater
69.6%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 10.9% low, 85.9% moderate, 3.3% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
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
ZZZZ20030274 Settlement Hodgdon 2001 $1K → $738
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: 2020-09-08, 6 years ago
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
4
samples
1
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg3
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (4)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2020-09-08 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2011-04-28 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2011-04-28 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Backhoe Operator
2000-08-02 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.52 1.21 0.43 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. Tiefenthaler Ag-Lime Inc 1985 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 2
2025 2
2024 3
2023 1
2022 2
2021 3
2020 2
2019 3
2018 3
2017 2
2016 2
2015 2
2014 2
2013 3
2012 3
2011 3
2010 3
2009 3
2008 3
2007 3
2006 3
2005 3
2004 3
2003 3
2002 3
2001 3
2000 3
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Portable Sand Plant #1 sits in Carroll County, Iowa, 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.
Carroll County, Iowa · Population 20,677
0.0%
Mining share of county employment
$68,528
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 320 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 50 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 84 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 162 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 77 0 0 0.0
2024 Q2 634 0 0 0.0
2023 Q4 310 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 694 0 0 0.0
Show 92 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2023 Q2 924 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 548 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 644 1 0 1552.8
2022 Q2 1,154 0 0 0.0
2022 Q1 3 0 0 0.0
2021 Q4 23 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 1,000 2 1 2000.0
2021 Q2 1,000 0 0 0.0
2021 Q1 219 0 0 0.0
2020 Q4 30 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 550 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 862 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 2 0 0 0.0
2019 Q4 618 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 248 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 324 0 0 0.0
2019 Q1 6 0 0 0.0
2018 Q4 142 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 1,023 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 313 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 8 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 162 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 295 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 317 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 6 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 6 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 598 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 203 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 3 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 591 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 399 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 1,301 2 0 1537.3
2015 Q1 16 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 356 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 703 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 117 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 4 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 265 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 1,141 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 555 1 0 1801.8
2013 Q1 4 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 1,200 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 1,215 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 1,296 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 3 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 1,058 3 0 2835.5
2011 Q3 1,416 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 859 6 4 6984.9
2011 Q1 9 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 1,809 0 0 0.0
2010 Q3 1,404 13 3 9259.3
2010 Q2 22 0 0 0.0
2009 Q4 806 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 1,227 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 1,748 0 0 0.0
2009 Q1 90 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 1,165 14 3 12017.2
2008 Q3 829 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 581 2 0 3442.3
2008 Q1 4 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 674 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 918 2 1 2178.6
2007 Q2 568 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 4 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 1,106 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 1,916 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 969 4 1 4128.0
2006 Q1 54 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 661 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 1,854 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 1,312 4 0 3048.8
2005 Q1 27 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 1,013 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 951 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 732 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 27 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 1,501 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 1,102 4 1 3629.8
2003 Q2 1,301 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 12 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 1,655 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 1,554 6 0 3861.0
2002 Q2 1,417 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 8 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 846 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 1,271 0 0 0.0
2001 Q2 1,998 5 2 2502.5
2001 Q1 19 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 409 8 3 19559.9
2000 Q3 718 16 1 22284.1
2000 Q2 1,892 0 0 0.0
2000 Q1 7 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

2 on file

1994 · 1 incident

August 10, 1994 IA · Metal/Non-Metal mine manager, mine foreman, mine owner HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Tiefenthaler Ag-Lime Inc · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

STEPPED UP ON LADDER O PAYLOADER AND TWISTED BODY WRONG PULLING A MUSCLE IN LOWER BACK.

1993 · 1 incident

August 9, 1993 IA · Metal/Non-Metal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman POWERED HAULAGE
Tiefenthaler Ag-Lime Inc · Caught in, under or between (Not Elsewhere Classified)

EMPLOYEE SLIPPED & CAUGHT ARM & HAND IN SMOOTH TAIL PULLEY ON ROCK BELT #2. INJURED WAS TAKEN TO LAKE CITY, IA BY ANBULANCE & THE LIFE FLIGHTED TO DES MOINES, IA TO IOWA METHODIST HOSPITAL WHE RE HE UNDER WENT SURGERY ON THE BONES ABOVE & BELOW TAHE ELBOW.