Sunflower Quarry has $24K in proposed MSHA penalties and $4K outstanding across 5 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
1
Total incidents
16
Years on record
1993–2018
Latest incident
Oct 2018
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
122
citations
19
significant & substantial
$24,497
proposed penalties
$20,886
paid to date
85% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $3,611 gap.
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.
122 citations across 1,039 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Sunflower Quarry has $24K in proposed MSHA penalties and $4K outstanding across 5 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.
$24K
proposed penalties
$24K
current assessed
$21K
paid to date
$4K
outstanding
114 assessments are final orders; 5 contested dockets.
Of $5K in penalties contested before the Commission, $5K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-10-27.
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.
13citations taken to the federal commission · 11% of citations on record
Settled
3 · 23%
Stood as issued
3 · 23%
Still open
7 · 54%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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
$5K 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 2026-01-26.
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: 2023-09-26
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
10
samples
2
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Respirable dust, <.1mg5
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz3
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz2
Show the individual readings (10)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2023-09-26
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.65
2.08
0.31
Cleanup Man
2023-09-26
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.15
Drill Operator, Rotary
2023-09-26
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Truck Driver
2019-01-08
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.33
Truck Driver
2019-01-08
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2019-01-08
Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz
0.44
Utility Man
2015-09-02
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Truck Driver
2015-09-02
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Blaster, Powder Gang
2015-09-02
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.6
0.81
0.74
Cleanup Man
2015-09-02
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
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.
Sunflower Quarry 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
No reportable injury cases in any year shown. Employee-hours were reported in each of those years, so these are true zeros rather than missing data. Citations, listed in the compliance record above, are inspector-found violations and are counted separately from worker injuries.
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 Kansas, metal and nonmetal mining averaged 1.88 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 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2022 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2021 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2020 *
0.00
0.00
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
27
2025
29
2024
28
2023
28
2022
27
2021
21
2020
21
2019
16
2018
12
2017
13
2016
15
2015
14
2014
14
2013
15
2012
14
2011
12
2010
13
2009
12
2008
12
2007
15
2006
19
2005
19
2004
18
2003
13
2002
12
2001
14
2000
13
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Sunflower Quarry sits in Johnson County, Kansas, where the Census mining category is 0.1% 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.
Johnson County, Kansas · Population 614,764
0.1%
Mining share of county employment
$107,261
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
INJURED ENTERED THE BIN AFTER BEING WARNED 30 MINUTES PRIOR NOT TO WORK IN THE AREA.APPARENTLY HE BECAME ENTRAPPED BETWEEN THE CONVEYOR AND THE BIN DISCHARGE GATE AND SUFFOCATED.
An employee was loading haul trucks using the CAT 365B track hoe when the employee noticed the machine had caught fire. The employee exited the machine and called for assistance. The fire department extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire remains undetermined, and there were no injuries suffered.
2016 · 1 incident
June 27, 2016KS · Metal/Non-Metaldriller, highwall operator, highwall drill operatorHANDLING OF MATERIALS
Lifting 50lbs. anfo bags from truck and loading them into shot holes over a 2 day time frame, approx. 30 bags each day. Causing back sprain to lower back.
2015 · 1 incident
October 8, 2015KS · Metal/Non-Metalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorPOWERED HAULAGE
At about 9:30 AM employee helped get a production sample off a conveyor belt. This was done the same way that our samples are always collected. At that time the employee felt fine. He continued cleanup around the plant in the skid steer. (His normal job) Around 11:00 he started having back pains when he hit bumps while operating the skid steer
2012 · 1 incident
April 24, 2012KS · Metal/Non-Metalminer, prospector, necOTHER
A body was found inside an abandoned refrigerator in a rural field. Incident was discovered by local law enforcement on leased property that is not owned by the mine operator and did not occur on the permitted boundaries of the mine site. Details of incident are provided by local news organizations. MSHA was contacted by operator at the time of discovery.
EE WAS LAYING ON HIS DIE SHOVELING OUT A TAIL PULLEY WHEN HE FELT A POP IN HIS ARM AND STERNUM.
July 17, 2003KS · Metal/Non-Metalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorSTEPPING OR KNEELING ON OBJECT
EE WAS HELPING TO CHANGE A SCREEN INT HE SCREEN DECK. WITH THE TOP SCREEN REMOVED HE STEPPED ON THE SCREEN BRACKET WHICH HAD A RUBBER LINER. THE RUBBER CAME OFF AND HIS ANKLE TWISTED.
2002 · 1 incident
January 15, 2002KS · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techMACHINERY
EMPLOYEE HAD PULLED UP TO THE OIL TRAILER TO ADD OIL TO HIS MACHINE. WHILE DISMOUNTING MACHINE HIS HANDS AND FEET SLIPPED OFF THE LADDER. HE LANDED ON HIS ANKLE SIDEWAYS CAUSING A SPRAIN.
2000 · 1 incident
June 26, 2000KS · Metal/Non-Metalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorPOWERED HAULAGE
EE WAS LOADING HAUL TRUCKS IN THE PIT. HE RAN OVER A BOULDER WITH HIS LOADER. THE BOULDER KICKED OUT CAUSING HIS ELBOW TO HIT THE ARM REST. THE OPERATOR COMPLAINED OF A SORE SHOULDER.
THE EMPLOYEE WAS HELPING TO CHANGE A TAIL ROLLERON A CONVEYER,HE WAS TIGHTENING THE TAILROLLER WITH A WRENCH WHEN HIS KNEE BUCKLED. WHEN ASKED WHAT HAPPENED THE EMPLOYEE STATED THAT IT WS AN OLD FOOTBALL INJURY. THE EMPLOYEE'S KNEE SWELLEDWITH A LOT OF DISCOMFORT AND HAS POSSIBLE LIGAMNET DAMAGE.
1995 · 1 incident
September 25, 1995KS · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techPOWERED HAULAGE
EE WAS GATHERING TOOLS FOR REPAIRS ON HIS EQUIPMENT. THE MACHANIC PRESENT DID NOT SEE HIM GETTING TOOLS, HE BEGAN TO MOVE HIS TRUCK CAUSING EE TO FALL APPROX. SIX FEET.
1994 · 1 incident
July 26, 1994KS · Metal/Non-Metallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanMACHINERY
EE WAS REMOVING A NUT THAT WAS LODGED IN IMPACT WRENCH SOCKET, WHEN THE POWER TRIGGER WAS ACCIDENTALLY PUSHED CAUSING THE NUT TO LACERATE HIS LEFT INDEX FINGER.
EE WAS DOING MAINTENANCE ON THE COUPLER, HIS FINGER WAS PINCHED. HE PANICKED AND PULLED HIS FINGER OUT CAUSING A LACERATION AND COMPOUND FRACTURE ON LEFT INDEX FINGER.
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