Mining Incidents

Suddeth Plant: 17 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Aggregates USA LLC · Surface
Controlled by Ready Mix USA Inc
Butler, Taylor County, GA  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 0901156

Suddeth Plant has $3K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 3 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
4
Years on record
2005–2007
Latest incident
Apr 2007
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2004
17
citations
3
significant & substantial
$2,899
proposed penalties
$2,877
paid to date
99% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $22 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2004
11
inspections on record
135
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: 135 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Suddeth Plant has $3K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 3 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
17 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $2K in penalties contested before the Commission, $2K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2008-05-09.
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.
17.6%
significant & substantial
35.3%
high negligence or reckless
17.6%
reasonably likely or greater
64.7%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 5.9% low, 58.8% moderate, 35.3% 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.
4 citations taken to the federal commission · 24% of citations on record
  • Settled 1 · 25%
  • Stood as issued 3 · 75%
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%
1%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$2K proposed, $2K 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 2008-07-16.
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 2008-875M Default Lesnick 2010 $2K → $2K
SE 2008-398M Settlement Feldman 2010 $224 → $202
SE 2008-869M Default Gill 2011 $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: 2006-07-26, 20 years ago
50%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
3
samples
2
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz21 over
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg1
Show the individual readings (3)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2006-05-03 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 1.12 0.63 1.78 Bulldozer Operator
2006-07-26 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Bulldozer Operator
2006-05-03 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.16 0.59 0.27 Backhoe 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. Couch Ready Mix USA Aggregates Division 2004 to 2009
  2. Aggregates USA LLC 2009 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2009 3
2008 6
2007 6
2006 6
2005 5
2004 4
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Suddeth Plant sits in Taylor County, Georgia, where the Census mining category is 1.7% 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.
Taylor County, Georgia · Population 7,786
1.7%
Mining share of county employment
$41,743
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
2009 Q3 856 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 1,185 0 0 0.0
2009 Q1 3,907 0 0 0.0
2008 Q4 4,661 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 4,847 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 4,359 3 1 688.2
2008 Q1 3,403 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 3,939 2 0 507.7
Show 13 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2007 Q3 4,769 2 0 419.4
2007 Q2 4,284 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 3,551 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 2,903 4 1 1377.9
2006 Q3 3,934 2 0 508.4
2006 Q2 3,656 3 1 820.6
2006 Q1 3,162 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 2,704 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 5,268 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 3,198 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 2,161 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 2,385 1 0 419.3
2004 Q3 1,537 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

4 on file

2007 · 1 incident

April 2, 2007 GA · Metal/Non-Metal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Couch Ready Mix USA Aggregates Division · Over-exertion in lifting objects

Lifting 5 gallon bucket of sand. Lumbar strain. Initial Dr. evaluation stated RTW - full duty - later went to light duty.

2006 · 1 incident

July 26, 2006 GA · Metal/Non-Metal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Couch Ready Mix USA Aggregates Division · Over-exertion in pulling or pushing objects

Employee was assisting belt replacement. Belt pulled in opposite direction causing pain to right shoulder.

2005 · 2 incidents

August 16, 2005 GA · Metal/Non-Metal barge/boat/dredge/towbarge/towboat/leach operator, riverman, deck hand SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Couch Ready Mix USA Aggregates Division · Fall onto or against objects

EE MINER STEPPED OVER DISCHARGE PIPE ON DREDGE. SURFACE WAS SET DUE TO LEAK THAT WAS BEING REPAIRED. MINER TRIPPED ON WET SURFACE, FALLING BACKWARDS STRIKING LOWER BACK ON PIPE, CAUSING CONTUSION TO LOWER BACK.

February 23, 2005 GA · Metal/Non-Metal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer MACHINERY
Couch Ready Mix USA Aggregates Division · Struck by flying object

Miner was grading haul road with d-6 cat. when backing up, a piece of 4" metal pipe caught in track, flipped up and struck side of cab, throwing sand and debris into left eye.