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: 90 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.
1
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2026-08-13.
On record since 2026.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
Rio Felix has $3K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 0 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.
$3K
proposed penalties
$3K
current assessed
$3K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
18 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-08-28.
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 controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year
Employees
2026
7
2025
7
2024
6
2023
5
2022
4
2020
9
2019
4
2018
3
2017
3
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Rio Felix sits in Chaves County, New Mexico, where the Census mining category is 2.9% 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.
Chaves County, New Mexico · Population 64,446
2.9%
Mining share of county employment
$52,029
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
5,293
0
0
0.0
2026 Q1
4,554
0
0
0.0
2025 Q4
4,456
0
0
0.0
2025 Q3
4,853
1
0
206.1
2025 Q2
5,232
0
0
0.0
2025 Q1
4,650
0
0
0.0
2024 Q4
4,091
0
0
0.0
2024 Q3
4,226
0
0
0.0
Show 21 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2
1,713
0
0
0.0
2024 Q1
4,694
0
0
0.0
2023 Q4
4,367
1
0
229.0
2023 Q3
5,280
0
0
0.0
2023 Q2
867
0
0
0.0
2023 Q1
2,803
2
0
713.5
2022 Q4
4,144
0
0
0.0
2022 Q3
1,736
8
1
4608.3
2022 Q2
1,597
0
0
0.0
2020 Q3
5,564
0
0
0.0
2020 Q2
5,228
2
0
382.6
2020 Q1
285
0
0
0.0
2019 Q4
1,216
0
0
0.0
2019 Q3
1,425
0
0
0.0
2019 Q2
1,169
0
0
0.0
2019 Q1
1,117
2
0
1790.5
2018 Q4
622
0
0
0.0
2018 Q3
1,843
0
0
0.0
2018 Q2
1,543
2
1
1296.2
2018 Q1
986
0
0
0.0
2017 Q4
215
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
1 on file
2023 · 1 incident
July 14, 2023NM · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
EE was doing maintenance on front-end loader. EE missed a step coming down the ladder and fell on back. Safety took EE to a hospital. The hospital did a CT scan that found 4 compression fractures in EE's vertebrae and 1 broken rib. EE was able to go home that day and is seeing a spine and orthopedic specialist.