Mining Incidents

TARAN BROTHERS S1 SLATE QUARRY: 118 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Poultney, Rutland County, VT  ·  Intermittent
MSHA Mine ID: 4300336

TARAN BROTHERS S1 SLATE QUARRY has $31K in proposed MSHA penalties and $5K outstanding across 2 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
2000
Latest incident
Feb 2000
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
118
citations
25
significant & substantial
$30,818
proposed penalties
$17,860
paid to date
58% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $12,958 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
65
inspections on record
763
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: 763 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

TARAN BROTHERS S1 SLATE QUARRY has $31K in proposed MSHA penalties and $5K 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.
$31K
proposed penalties
$23K
current assessed
$18K
paid to date
$5K
outstanding
117 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $19K in penalties contested before the Commission, $11K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-03-31.
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.
21.4%
significant & substantial
11.1%
high negligence or reckless
21.4%
reasonably likely or greater
56.4%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 8.5% low, 80.3% moderate, 11.1% 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.
15 citations taken to the federal commission · 13% of citations on record
  • Settled 14 · 93%
  • Vacated or withdrawn 1 · 7%
71%
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 7 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
41%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$19K proposed, $11K 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 2008-07-22.
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
YORK 2008-218M Settlement Feldman 2012 $19K → $11K
YORK 2008-219M Settlement Feldman 2009 $127 → $127
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: 2024-10-17
57%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
21
samples
14
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz158 over
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg5
  • Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (21)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2009-01-07 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 1.76 0.78 2.26 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2009-01-07 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 1.31 0.72 1.82 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2009-01-07 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 2.05 0.72 2.85 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2004-06-09 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.89 0.49 1.82 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2004-06-09 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.63 0.53 1.19 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2004-03-24 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 1.02 0.37 2.76 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2004-03-24 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 1.16 0.47 2.47 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2004-03-24 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.41 0.41 1.00 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2024-10-17 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Shovel Operator
2020-03-17 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.13 Rotary Bucket Ex. Operator
2020-03-17 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Supervisor, Co. Official
2017-05-23 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Truck Driver
2009-04-15 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.35 1.08 0.32 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2009-04-15 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.26 0.76 0.34 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2009-04-15 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.36 0.65 0.55 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2006-05-17 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.21 0.48 0.44 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2006-05-17 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.16 0.47 0.34 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2006-05-17 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.34 0.42 0.81 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2004-08-04 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Stone Polisher/Cutter
2004-03-24 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Rotary Bucket Ex. Operator
2004-03-24 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.27 Truck Driver
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. South Poultney Slate Company 1980 to 2014
  2. Taran Brothers Slate Co. 2014 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 1
2025 2
2024 2
2023 2
2022 2
2021 2
2020 2
2019 2
2018 2
2017 2
2016 2
2015 2
2014 3
2013 4
2012 5
2011 7
2010 7
2009 6
2008 6
2007 7
2006 6
2005 6
2004 8
2003 7
2002 7
2001 9
2000 8
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

TARAN BROTHERS S1 SLATE QUARRY sits in Rutland County, Vermont, 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.
Rutland County, Vermont · Population 60,484
0.5%
Mining share of county employment
$64,778
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 604 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 298 1 1 3355.7
2025 Q4 541 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 533 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 660 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 800 0 0 0.0
2024 Q4 584 3 0 5137.0
2024 Q3 629 0 0 0.0
Show 97 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 608 0 0 0.0
2024 Q1 849 0 0 0.0
2023 Q4 897 6 0 6689.0
2023 Q3 758 0 0 0.0
2023 Q2 995 0 0 0.0
2023 Q1 835 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 794 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 985 3 0 3045.7
2022 Q2 614 0 0 0.0
2022 Q1 118 0 0 0.0
2021 Q4 376 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 420 0 0 0.0
2021 Q2 840 3 0 3571.4
2021 Q1 311 0 0 0.0
2020 Q4 812 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 760 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 445 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 657 4 0 6088.3
2019 Q4 808 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 629 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 575 1 0 1739.1
2019 Q1 6 0 0 0.0
2018 Q4 220 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 320 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 200 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 100 0 0 0.0
2017 Q4 400 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 40 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 200 1 0 5000.0
2017 Q1 20 0 0 0.0
2016 Q4 20 0 0 0.0
2016 Q3 103 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 50 3 0 60000.0
2016 Q1 60 0 0 0.0
2015 Q4 22 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 12 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 38 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 12 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 40 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 408 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 1,013 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 2,010 1 0 497.5
2013 Q3 2,006 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 2,045 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 2,244 3 1 1336.9
2012 Q4 2,438 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 2,366 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 2,499 3 2 1200.5
2012 Q1 2,637 3 0 1137.7
2011 Q4 2,932 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 3,094 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 3,225 4 0 1240.3
2011 Q1 3,094 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 3,555 4 2 1125.2
2010 Q3 3,247 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 2,969 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 2,553 2 1 783.4
2009 Q4 2,872 3 1 1044.6
2009 Q3 3,004 0 0 0.0
2009 Q2 3,079 2 0 649.6
2009 Q1 2,776 4 0 1440.9
2008 Q4 2,458 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 2,259 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 2,472 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 2,729 1 0 366.4
2007 Q4 2,749 14 5 5092.8
2007 Q3 3,040 2 0 657.9
2007 Q2 3,286 0 0 0.0
2007 Q1 2,765 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 2,619 9 2 3436.4
2006 Q3 2,337 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 2,663 4 1 1502.1
2006 Q1 2,536 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 2,580 3 0 1162.8
2005 Q3 2,298 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 2,013 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 2,959 1 0 338.0
2004 Q4 3,459 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 3,268 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 3,448 0 0 0.0
2004 Q1 3,677 4 2 1087.8
2003 Q4 3,531 5 1 1416.0
2003 Q3 3,556 0 0 0.0
2003 Q2 2,636 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 1,648 10 3 6068.0
2002 Q4 1,747 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 1,744 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 2,723 1 0 367.2
2002 Q1 3,651 4 1 1095.6
2001 Q4 3,836 0 0 0.0
2001 Q3 3,519 0 0 0.0
2001 Q2 3,964 0 0 0.0
2001 Q1 4,083 0 0 0.0
2000 Q4 3,570 0 0 0.0
2000 Q3 2,170 6 2 2765.0
2000 Q2 3,758 0 0 0.0
2000 Q1 3,520 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

1 on file

2000 · 1 incident

February 1, 2000 VT · Metal/Non-Metal coal/ore shovel operator, shoveler, power shoveler MACHINERY
South Poultney Slate Company · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

WAS PUTTING OIL IN BACKHOE WHEN HOOD FELL AND HIT HIM ON BACK OF HEAD PUSHING HIS FACE INTO MOTOR - BROKE NOSE.