Mining Incidents
Search Operators Mines Alerts Research Controllers Fatalgrams About
Countries
Peru Chile
English Español
← Back to search

Soto's Rock: 144 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Soto's Rock · Surface
El Paso, El Paso County, TX  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 4103807

Soto's Rock has $37K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 2 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

Watch this mine

Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at Soto's Rock.

Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
2000
Latest incident
Feb 2000
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
144
citations
43
significant & substantial
$37,080
proposed penalties
$37,037
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $43 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Soto's Rock's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
85
inspections on record
1,021
inspection hours
14.1
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.
144 citations across 1,021 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Soto's Rock has $37K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 2 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.
$37K
proposed penalties
$37K
current assessed
$37K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
144 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $208 in penalties contested before the Commission, $200 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-06-08.
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.
29.9%
significant & substantial
14.6%
high negligence or reckless
29.2%
reasonably likely or greater
58.3%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.7% none, 4.9% low, 79.9% moderate, 14.6% 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.
2 citations taken to the federal commission · 1% of citations on record
  • Settled 2 · 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%
4%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$208 proposed, $200 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 2011-12-29.
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
CENT 2009-130M Settlement Lesnick 2010 $108 → $100
CENT 2012-259M Settlement Lesnick 2012 $100 → $100
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: 2020-12-09, 5 years ago
8%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
16
samples
12
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz121 over
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg4
Show the individual readings (16)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2001-05-09 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 1.74 0.81 2.15 Front-end Loader Operator
2020-12-09 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Mechanic
2020-12-09 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Laborer, Bullgang
2016-09-22 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.23 0.88 0.26 Front-end Loader Operator
2016-09-22 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.17 0.8 0.21 Front-end Loader Operator
2011-10-27 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.45 0.71 0.63 Backhoe Operator
2011-10-27 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.66 0.68 0.97 Front-end Loader Operator
2011-10-27 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.23 0.97 0.24 Laborer, Bullgang
2004-08-04 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Mechanic
2004-08-04 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.37 0.79 0.47 Front-end Loader Operator
2004-08-04 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.13 0.83 0.16 Front-end Loader Operator
2004-08-04 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2001-05-09 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.48 0.88 0.55 Scaling (hand)
2001-05-09 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.12 1.44 0.08 Front-end Loader Operator
2001-05-09 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.26 1.31 0.20 Truck Driver
2001-05-09 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.45 1.25 0.36 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. Soto's Rock 1994 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 7
2025 7
2024 7
2023 8
2022 8
2021 8
2020 9
2019 8
2018 8
2017 8
2016 8
2015 9
2014 8
2013 8
2012 8
2011 8
2010 6
2009 11
2008 14
2007 13
2006 13
2005 21
2004 16
2003 15
2002 12
2001 10
2000 9
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Soto's Rock sits in El Paso County, Texas, where the Census mining category is 0.8% 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.
El Paso County, Texas · Population 866,275
0.8%
Mining share of county employment
$58,859
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 3,410 2 0 586.5
2026 Q1 2,992 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 3,032 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 3,024 1 0 330.7
2025 Q2 2,872 3 0 1044.6
2025 Q1 3,232 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 2,472 1 0 404.5
2024 Q3 2,952 0 0 0.0
Show 96 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 2,352 0 0 0.0
2024 Q1 2,344 4 0 1706.5
2023 Q4 2,608 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 3,080 0 0 0.0
2023 Q2 3,716 0 0 0.0
2023 Q1 2,912 2 0 686.8
2022 Q4 3,200 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 3,448 0 0 0.0
2022 Q2 3,264 1 0 306.4
2022 Q1 3,400 0 0 0.0
2021 Q4 3,368 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 4,288 0 0 0.0
2021 Q2 3,464 2 1 577.4
2021 Q1 4,056 0 0 0.0
2020 Q4 4,232 4 1 945.2
2020 Q3 4,288 2 0 466.4
2020 Q2 4,014 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 4,648 1 0 215.1
2019 Q4 4,195 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 4,356 3 0 688.7
2019 Q2 3,992 0 0 0.0
2019 Q1 3,432 0 0 0.0
2018 Q4 4,176 5 2 1197.3
2018 Q3 3,560 4 0 1123.6
2018 Q2 3,744 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 3,720 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 3,720 3 0 806.5
2017 Q3 3,848 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 4,056 5 4 1232.7
2017 Q1 4,112 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 4,136 4 2 967.1
2016 Q3 4,158 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 4,340 3 0 691.2
2016 Q1 3,688 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 4,148 4 4 964.3
2015 Q3 4,080 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 4,088 2 0 489.2
2015 Q1 3,940 4 0 1015.2
2014 Q4 3,900 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 3,956 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 3,872 3 2 774.8
2014 Q1 3,658 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 3,752 2 1 533.0
2013 Q3 4,052 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 3,440 1 0 290.7
2013 Q1 3,232 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 2,970 2 2 673.4
2012 Q3 2,640 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 3,240 4 1 1234.6
2012 Q1 3,017 0 0 0.0
2011 Q4 732 5 1 6830.6
2011 Q3 732 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 732 4 0 5464.5
2011 Q1 732 2 0 2732.2
2010 Q4 712 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 712 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 712 8 7 11236.0
2009 Q4 704 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 732 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 772 1 0 1295.3
2009 Q1 772 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 936 4 1 4273.5
2008 Q3 936 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 928 1 0 1077.6
2008 Q1 520 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 545 8 1 14678.9
2007 Q3 540 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 540 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 520 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 540 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 540 6 2 11111.1
2006 Q2 580 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 480 7 1 14583.3
2005 Q4 536 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 520 2 0 3846.2
2005 Q2 560 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 640 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 510 1 0 1960.8
2004 Q3 518 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 540 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 520 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 508 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 560 0 0 0.0
2003 Q2 536 1 0 1865.7
2003 Q1 480 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 500 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 520 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 520 4 4 7692.3
2002 Q1 504 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 520 7 2 13461.5
2001 Q3 640 0 0 0.0
2001 Q2 564 4 1 7092.2
2000 Q4 564 0 0 0.0
2000 Q3 520 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 160 4 1 25000.0
2000 Q1 520 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2000 · 1 incident

February 22, 2000 TX · Metal/Non-Metal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Soto's Rock · Fall to lower level, (Not Elsewhere Classified)

EE WAS PRYING ROCKS LOOSE. THE ROCK GOT LOOSE ALL OF A SUDDEN, HE LOST HIS HOLD. BECAUSE HE WAS NEAR THE EDGE, HE FELL OFF 20 FEET TO GROUND LEVEL. THE EE REMOVED HIS SAFETY LANYARD.