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: 556 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
SARDINE has $25K 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.
$25K
proposed penalties
$25K
current assessed
$25K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
69 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $482 in penalties contested before the Commission, $482 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-04-15.
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.
1citations taken to the federal commission · 1% of citations on record
Stood as issued
1 · 100%
100%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 1 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$482 proposed, $482 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 A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record.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 2020-07-01.
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: 2025-12-17
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
29
samples
5
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Respirable dust, <.1mg23
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz5
Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (29)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2025-12-17
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2025-12-17
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Dredge/Barge Operator
2025-12-17
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Dredge/Barge Operator
2025-07-31
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Dredge/Barge Operator
2025-07-31
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Truck Driver
2025-07-31
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.13
0.42
0.31
Front-end Loader Operator
2025-01-25
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Truck Driver
2025-01-25
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2025-01-25
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Welder, etc.
2025-01-25
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Dredge/Barge Operator
2024-04-26
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Hydrating Plant Operator
2024-04-26
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Dredge/Barge Operator
2024-04-26
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.33
0.45
0.73
Truck Driver
2024-04-26
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Rotary Bucket Ex. Operator
2023-07-07
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2023-07-07
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Dredge/Barge Operator
2023-07-07
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Rotary Bucket Ex. Operator
2023-07-07
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Truck Driver
2022-09-08
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Truck Driver
2022-09-08
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2022-09-08
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Backhoe Operator
2022-09-08
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Bulldozer Operator
2021-04-28
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.19
0.22
0.86
Dry Screen Plant Operator
2021-04-28
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Dredge/Barge Operator
2021-04-28
Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz
1.05
10
0.11
Bulldozer Operator
2021-04-28
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Truck Driver
2021-04-28
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Dry Screen Plant Operator
2019-04-24
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.14
Cleanup Man
2019-04-24
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.27
0.55
0.49
Washer 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.
SARDINE recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2025.
Injury rate, 2025
ⓘ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 1.65 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
In Alabama, metal and nonmetal mining averaged 1.52 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
2025 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2024 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2023 *
3.79
3.79
0.000
2022 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2021 *
3.62
3.62
0.000
2020 *
3.41
3.41
0.000
2019 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2018 *
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.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year
Employees
2026
16
2025
22
2024
24
2023
24
2022
24
2021
25
2020
24
2019
23
2018
19
2017
25
2016
20
2015
16
2014
4
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
SARDINE sits in Escambia County, Alabama, where the Census mining category is 0.5% 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.
Escambia County, Alabama · Population 36,695
0.5%
Mining share of county employment
$44,447
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
9,455
2
0
211.5
2026 Q1
8,372
0
0
0.0
2025 Q4
11,325
3
0
264.9
2025 Q3
11,849
2
0
168.8
2025 Q2
13,688
0
0
0.0
2025 Q1
12,646
3
2
237.2
2024 Q4
1,160
0
0
0.0
2024 Q3
12,105
1
0
82.6
Show 39 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2
13,083
1
0
76.4
2024 Q1
13,590
1
1
73.6
2023 Q4
11,643
0
0
0.0
2023 Q3
12,694
7
5
551.4
2023 Q2
14,842
0
0
0.0
2023 Q1
13,617
0
0
0.0
2022 Q4
12,429
3
1
241.4
2022 Q3
14,054
0
0
0.0
2022 Q2
16,728
4
2
239.1
2022 Q1
14,623
0
0
0.0
2021 Q4
12,623
3
1
237.7
2021 Q3
12,628
0
0
0.0
2021 Q2
15,149
1
1
66.0
2021 Q1
14,790
1
1
67.6
2020 Q4
13,452
0
0
0.0
2020 Q3
15,172
0
0
0.0
2020 Q2
15,643
6
5
383.6
2020 Q1
14,408
0
0
0.0
2019 Q4
14,287
3
2
210.0
2019 Q3
13,790
0
0
0.0
2019 Q2
13,877
1
1
72.1
2019 Q1
12,227
0
0
0.0
2018 Q4
10,324
6
0
581.2
2018 Q3
10,904
0
0
0.0
2018 Q2
11,238
0
0
0.0
2018 Q1
11,185
0
0
0.0
2017 Q4
11,371
2
1
175.9
2017 Q3
13,164
5
1
379.8
2017 Q2
16,183
0
0
0.0
2017 Q1
15,543
5
1
321.7
2016 Q4
14,747
0
0
0.0
2016 Q3
13,981
0
0
0.0
2016 Q2
11,942
2
0
167.5
2016 Q1
10,844
0
0
0.0
2015 Q4
11,210
3
1
267.6
2015 Q3
10,583
1
0
94.5
2015 Q2
9,894
0
0
0.0
2015 Q1
2,434
2
0
821.7
2014 Q4
1,990
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
9 on file
2023 · 1 incident
March 25, 2023AL · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerHANDLING OF MATERIALS
EE has a bone spur in shoulder, EE pulled on the door of the loader aggravating the left shoulder to the point where EE needed to receive medical attention. I spoke with an MSHA employee in Denver, who said even though the employee has a previous condition, this should still be reported. The employee is awaiting an MRI to see what needs to be done to alleviate the pain
2021 · 1 incident
April 7, 2021AL · Metal/Non-Metallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanHANDLING OF MATERIALS
left shoulder separation occurred to the employee while EE was driving in an off road truck. EE ran through a rut while EE had EE's arm over EE's head hanging on to a handle.
2019 · 1 incident
July 2, 2019AL · Metal/Non-Metallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanHANDLING OF MATERIALS
This injury was reported to the injury Hotline first by mistake. The injured worker was cleaning out organic debris out of the gravel rock pile, that is formed via a conveyor belt. The worker claims was hit in the head with some of the rocks. EE then claims after the shift EE went to the ER where EE was diagnosed with a slight concussion.
2017 · 3 incidents
May 3, 2017AL · Metal/Non-Metalwelder (shop)MACHINERY
Employee was using a small hand grinder to remove hinges on a roll up door on an enclosed trailer. The grinder became wedged and then kicked back on the employee, cutting their forehead. Employee was wearing gloves and safety glasses at the time of the accident.
March 16, 2017AL · Metal/Non-Metalwelder (shop)MACHINERY
Employee was splitting a piece of pipe in two with a torch when the tip of employee's gloved finger got caught between the two pieces, pinching the end of the finger off.
February 1, 2017AL · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Approx 12/31/15 EE was assisting working on material washer, he slipped and fell against the guardrail. This incident was not reported to anyone; he went to his family Dr. On 1/11/16 he went to get on track hoe when he experienced pain on his right side. On 1/13/16 he returned to family doctor and then reported it to HR dept. The safety coordinator was not informed until 1/19/16.
2014 · 1 incident
November 26, 2014AL · Metal/Non-Metalcar trimmer, car loader, bin puller, truck loaderSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Injured employee was assisting another employee who was on a ladder welding; employee went to hand injured employee the welding lead and injured employee grabbed the wrong end, at which point it shocked him and he fell from the ladder, hurting his ankle
Related mines
Other mines operated by SOUTH ALABAMA MATERIALS, INC