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Pyramid Quarry: 95 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Elberton, Elbert County, GA  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 0901096

Pyramid Quarry has $30K in proposed MSHA penalties and $7 outstanding across 15 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
2022
Latest incident
Oct 2022
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
95
citations
20
significant & substantial
$29,738
proposed penalties
$14,803
paid to date
50% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $14,935 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Savannah Valley Quarries, LLC's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
76
inspections on record
1,093
inspection hours
8.7
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.
95 citations across 1,093 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Pyramid Quarry has $30K in proposed MSHA penalties and $7 outstanding across 15 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.
$30K
proposed penalties
$15K
current assessed
$15K
paid to date
$7
outstanding
93 assessments are final orders; 15 contested dockets.
Of $22K in penalties contested before the Commission, $6K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2024-08-20.
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.
21.3%
significant & substantial
17.0%
high negligence or reckless
20.2%
reasonably likely or greater
59.6%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 8.5% low, 74.5% moderate, 17.0% 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.
31 citations taken to the federal commission · 33% of citations on record
  • Settled 25 · 81%
  • Stood as issued 5 · 16%
  • Vacated or withdrawn 1 · 3%
64%
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 14 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
74%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$19K proposed, $5K 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 2012-06-28.
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 2008-834M Settlement Paez 2010 $9K → $505
SE 20010088M Settlement Weisberger 2001 $3K → $2K
SE 2009-896M Settlement Rae 2011 $2K → $1K
SE 2012-569M Settlement Lesnick 2013 $2K → $378
SE 2007-152M Settlement Lesnick 2007 $1K → $958
SE 2010-408M Dismissal Andrews 2011 $1K → $291
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: 2023-09-14
39%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
57
samples
33
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz3714 over
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg21
Show the individual readings (58)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2018-12-13 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.75 0.56 1.34 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2018-12-13 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.79 0.6 1.32 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2017-11-07 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.78 0.58 1.34 Laborer, Bullgang
2015-05-06 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 1.28 0.57 2.25 Drill Operator, Rotary Air
2013-03-05 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.82 0.7 1.17 Drill Operator, Rotary Air
2013-03-05 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.65 0.6 1.08 Drill Operator, Rotary Air
2009-08-26 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 1.66 0.6 2.77 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2009-06-23 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 1.94 0.6 3.23 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2009-06-23 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.61 0.57 1.07 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2006-03-15 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 1.44 0.57 2.53 Drill Operator, Rotary
2003-11-18 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.9 0.54 1.67 Utility Man
2002-01-08 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 1.2 0.6 2.00 Utility Man
2001-10-01 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 3.94 0.57 6.91 Utility Man
2001-10-01 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 3.79 0.55 6.89 Utility Man
2023-09-14 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2023-09-14 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2023-09-14 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2022-09-07 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2022-09-07 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2022-09-07 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2021-03-11 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.41 0.99 0.41 Laborer, Bullgang
2020-08-19 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.27 Front-end Loader Operator
2020-08-19 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Jackhammer Operator
2020-08-19 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Jackhammer Operator
2020-08-19 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Mobile Crane Operator
2020-08-19 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Jackhammer Operator
2019-02-07 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.27 0.43 0.63 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2019-02-07 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.17 0.49 0.35 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2019-02-07 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.2 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2018-12-13 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.56 0.78 0.72 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2017-11-21 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.13 0.61 0.21 Laborer, Bullgang
2017-10-18 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.44 0.47 0.94 Laborer, Bullgang
2017-10-18 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 1.29 Laborer, Bullgang
2017-10-18 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Laborer, Bullgang
2017-10-18 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.24 0.72 0.33 Laborer, Bullgang
2016-10-25 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2016-10-25 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2016-10-25 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.24 0.75 0.32 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2015-12-10 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.18 0.62 0.29 Drill Operator, Rotary Air
2015-05-06 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.3 1.77 0.17 Ground Control/Timberman
2015-05-06 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Supervisor, Co. Official
2015-05-06 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Laborer, Bullgang
2013-06-26 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.38 0.68 0.56 Drill Operator, Rotary Air
2013-06-26 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.13 0.85 0.15 Drill Operator, Rotary Air
2013-06-26 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Laborer, Bullgang
2013-06-26 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2013-06-26 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Supervisor, Co. Official
2010-03-30 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.45 0.57 0.79 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2010-03-30 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.28 0.69 0.41 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2009-11-19 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2009-08-26 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.54 0.66 0.82 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2006-05-24 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.39 0.63 0.62 Drill Operator, Rotary
2006-03-15 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.78 1.26 0.62 Drill Operator, Rotary
2006-03-15 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Utility Man
2004-02-03 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Utility Man
2003-11-18 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.89 0.92 0.97 Drill Operator, Rotary Air
2003-01-07 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.62 1.75 0.35 Drill Operator, Rotary Air
2002-05-08 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.68 1.53 0.44 Drill Operator, Rotary Air
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.

Pyramid Quarry recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2024.

Injury rate, 2024
ⓘ 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 1.77 and the all-US-mining average was 2.08 cases per 100 workers.
In Georgia, metal and nonmetal mining averaged 1.34 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
2024 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2023 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2022 * 7.64 7.64 0.000
2021 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2019 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2013 * 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. Pyramid Stone Industries Inc 1995 to 2020
  2. Savannah Valley Quarries, LLC 2021 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 10
2025 7
2024 15
2023 19
2022 13
2021 14
2020 12
2019 13
2018 12
2017 12
2016 12
2015 12
2014 12
2013 12
2012 11
2011 10
2010 9
2009 8
2008 9
2007 10
2006 9
2005 9
2004 9
2003 10
2002 9
2001 8
2000 8
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Pyramid Quarry sits in Elbert County, Georgia, where the Census mining category is 2.7% 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.
Elbert County, Georgia · Population 19,725
2.7%
Mining share of county employment
$49,727
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 990 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 3,724 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 3,789 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 4,240 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 3,533 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 3,960 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 3,904 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 6,047 1 1 165.4
Show 97 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 7,202 0 0 0.0
2024 Q1 6,914 0 0 0.0
2023 Q4 8,224 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 7,438 3 0 403.3
2023 Q2 5,899 1 0 169.5
2023 Q1 5,654 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 4,961 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 6,168 2 0 324.3
2022 Q2 7,618 0 0 0.0
2022 Q1 7,438 0 0 0.0
2021 Q4 9,487 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 6,568 3 0 456.8
2021 Q2 5,604 0 0 0.0
2021 Q1 5,604 0 0 0.0
2020 Q4 4,595 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 5,425 4 0 737.3
2020 Q2 4,380 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 4,644 1 0 215.3
2019 Q4 4,837 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 6,280 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 5,360 2 0 373.1
2019 Q1 3,990 1 0 250.6
2018 Q4 3,726 1 0 268.4
2018 Q3 5,302 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 5,172 1 0 193.3
2018 Q1 4,670 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 3,740 3 1 802.1
2017 Q3 5,400 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 5,070 3 1 591.7
2017 Q1 4,830 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 3,800 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 5,660 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 5,160 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 4,718 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 3,570 1 1 280.1
2015 Q3 5,604 1 0 178.4
2015 Q2 4,870 2 1 410.7
2015 Q1 4,480 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 4,540 3 0 660.8
2014 Q3 5,250 2 1 381.0
2014 Q2 5,060 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 4,600 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 4,810 3 0 623.7
2013 Q3 5,660 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 5,160 1 0 193.8
2013 Q1 5,670 1 0 176.4
2012 Q3 5,590 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 5,475 1 0 182.6
2012 Q1 5,585 1 0 179.1
2011 Q4 5,179 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 4,605 1 0 217.2
2011 Q2 4,719 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 3,272 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 3,781 2 1 529.0
2010 Q3 3,221 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 3,680 4 1 1087.0
2010 Q1 3,373 0 0 0.0
2009 Q4 3,449 2 0 579.9
2009 Q3 2,890 2 2 692.0
2009 Q2 2,970 4 3 1346.8
2009 Q1 2,970 3 0 1010.1
2008 Q4 3,120 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 4,150 2 0 481.9
2008 Q2 4,385 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 3,515 6 1 1707.0
2007 Q4 4,434 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 4,783 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 5,028 2 0 397.8
2007 Q1 4,569 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 3,969 7 2 1763.7
2006 Q3 4,880 2 0 409.8
2006 Q2 4,384 2 1 456.2
2006 Q1 3,996 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 4,260 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 4,462 1 0 224.1
2005 Q2 4,389 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 4,284 3 1 700.3
2004 Q4 4,108 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 4,680 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 5,599 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 4,295 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 4,589 3 1 653.7
2003 Q3 4,199 0 0 0.0
2003 Q2 4,101 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 4,324 1 0 231.3
2002 Q4 4,052 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 4,437 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 3,170 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 3,005 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 3,721 3 0 806.2
2001 Q3 3,851 0 0 0.0
2001 Q2 3,419 1 0 292.5
2001 Q1 2,640 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 3,360 0 0 0.0
2000 Q3 3,840 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 3,296 2 1 606.8
2000 Q1 4,140 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2022 · 1 incident

October 24, 2022 GA · Metal/Non-Metal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech MACHINERY
Savannah Valley Quarries, LLC · Contact with hot objects or substances

No contributing factors. Employee burned self on the ankle while using an acetylene torch.