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VARMICON QUARRY: 136 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

Controlled by Buzzi S p A
Sullivan City, Starr County, TX  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 4104034

VARMICON QUARRY has $43K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 8 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
5
Years on record
2001–2011
Latest incident
Apr 2011
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
136
citations
35
significant & substantial
$43,231
proposed penalties
$33,298
paid to date
77% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $9,933 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Alamo Concrete Products Company's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
42
inspections on record
675
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: 675 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

VARMICON QUARRY has $43K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 8 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.
$43K
proposed penalties
$33K
current assessed
$33K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
130 assessments are final orders; 8 contested dockets.
Of $16K in penalties contested before the Commission, $5K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2015-06-10.
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.
26.1%
significant & substantial
4.5%
high negligence or reckless
26.1%
reasonably likely or greater
59.7%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 30.6% low, 64.9% moderate, 4.5% 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.
26 citations taken to the federal commission · 19% of citations on record
  • Settled 22 · 85%
  • Vacated or withdrawn 4 · 15%
42%
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 12 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
70%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$16K 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 2013-09-30.
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 2010-1332M Settlement Lesnick 2011 $4K → $372
CENT 2010-1064M Settlement Lesnick 2011 $3K → $621
CENT 2010-938M Settlement Lesnick 2011 $2K → $2K
CENT 2011-509M Settlement Barbour 2011 $2K → $503
CENT 2012-781M Settlement Lesnick 2013 $2K → $224
CENT 2009-355M Settlement Lesnick 2010 $1K → $775
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: 2012-05-23, 14 years ago
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
18
samples
7
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg8
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz6
  • Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz3
  • Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (18)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2012-05-23 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 1.41 1.47 0.96 Crusher Oper/Worker
2012-05-23 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 1.65 1.66 0.99 Cleanup Man
2008-01-17 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Crusher Oper/Worker
2008-01-17 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Utility Man
2008-01-17 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.16 Supervisor, Co. Official
2004-05-20 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.14 1.05 0.13 Truck Driver
2004-05-20 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2004-05-20 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2004-05-20 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.2 0.95 0.21 Truck Driver
2004-05-20 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Backhoe Operator
2003-09-18 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.24 Front-end Loader Operator
2003-09-18 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.19 1.11 0.17 Truck Driver
2003-09-18 Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.13 Rotary Bucket Ex. Operator
2003-09-18 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Crusher Oper/Worker
2003-09-18 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Crusher Oper/Worker
2000-09-29 Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz 0.31 10 0.03 Backhoe Operator
2000-09-29 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.14 1.15 0.12 Crusher Oper/Worker
2000-09-29 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.

VARMICON QUARRY recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2014.

Injury rate, 2014
ⓘ 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 2.39 and the all-US-mining average was 2.93 cases per 100 workers.
In Texas, metal and nonmetal mining averaged 2.81 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
2014 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2011 * 9.49 0.00 0.000
2010 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2009 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2008 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2007 * 3.69 3.69 0.000
2006 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2005 * 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.
Ownership history
  1. VARMICON PARTNERSHIP, Ltd. 1998 to 2009
  2. Alamo Concrete Products Company 2009 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2015 9
2014 13
2013 8
2012 9
2011 10
2010 10
2009 14
2008 21
2007 20
2006 17
2005 20
2004 19
2003 20
2002 20
2001 17
2000 12
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

VARMICON QUARRY sits in Starr County, Texas, where the Census mining category is 3.2% 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.
Starr County, Texas · Population 65,809
3.2%
Mining share of county employment
$38,182
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
2015 Q4 4,120 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 5,361 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 5,159 1 0 193.8
2015 Q1 5,287 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 5,475 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 6,930 1 0 144.3
2014 Q2 7,732 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 5,253 0 0 0.0
Show 56 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2013 Q4 4,293 0 0 0.0
2013 Q3 4,678 2 1 427.5
2013 Q2 4,629 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 4,168 0 0 0.0
2012 Q4 3,951 1 0 253.1
2012 Q3 4,080 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 5,591 1 0 178.9
2012 Q1 5,332 1 0 187.5
2011 Q4 4,818 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 5,314 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 5,379 1 0 185.9
2011 Q1 5,556 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 5,674 2 0 352.5
2010 Q3 5,935 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 5,361 11 3 2051.9
2010 Q1 5,029 0 0 0.0
2009 Q4 4,914 2 1 407.0
2009 Q3 5,621 3 0 533.7
2009 Q2 7,125 0 0 0.0
2009 Q1 10,143 4 0 394.4
2008 Q4 12,050 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 13,034 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 14,048 3 1 213.6
2008 Q1 14,145 4 1 282.8
2007 Q4 17,367 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 15,120 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 10,955 33 0 3012.3
2007 Q1 10,751 7 5 651.1
2006 Q4 11,426 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 11,279 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 13,497 2 1 148.2
2006 Q1 15,908 5 3 314.3
2005 Q4 14,196 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 16,793 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 15,278 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 13,555 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 14,937 9 1 602.5
2004 Q3 15,717 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 15,521 3 2 193.3
2004 Q1 14,334 11 6 767.4
2003 Q4 14,772 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 14,804 1 0 67.5
2003 Q2 15,124 10 7 661.2
2003 Q1 14,632 0 0 0.0
2002 Q4 13,691 0 0 0.0
2002 Q3 14,363 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 14,260 1 0 70.1
2002 Q1 14,444 0 0 0.0
2001 Q4 12,959 1 0 77.2
2001 Q3 12,151 0 0 0.0
2001 Q2 11,889 4 2 336.4
2001 Q1 7,470 1 0 133.9
2000 Q4 7,350 0 0 0.0
2000 Q3 8,621 4 0 464.0
2000 Q2 7,029 0 0 0.0
2000 Q1 5,472 6 1 1096.5
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

5 on file

2011 · 1 incident

April 1, 2011 TX · Metal/Non-Metal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Alamo Concrete Products Company · Over-exertion in lifting objects

EMPLOYEE WAS PICKING UP A BATTERY TO PUT ON TOP OF ANOTHER COMPANY UNIT AND HURT HIS BACK.

2007 · 1 incident

May 10, 2007 TX · Metal/Non-Metal warehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operator SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
VARMICON PARTNERSHIP, Ltd. · Fall from machine

EE was told to tell crusher operator to turn off crusher so he could restart breaker. EE told operator to stop. Inj EE got on top of conveyor w/o locking in & telling anyone. They reset breaker & started conveyor without the EE getting off. The EE was carried 25' up the belt. EE jumped off and landed on his feet, hurting back & ribs.

2004 · 1 incident

March 4, 2004 TX · Metal/Non-Metal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer HANDLING OF MATERIALS
VARMICON PARTNERSHIP, Ltd. · Over-exertion in lifting objects

EMPLOYEE WAS LIFTING SOME STEEL WHEN HE FELT FAIN IN BACK.

2003 · 1 incident

May 14, 2003 TX · Metal/Non-Metal warehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operator MACHINERY
VARMICON PARTNERSHIP, Ltd. · Struck by flying object

EMPLOYEE WAS STANDING ON JAW CRUSHER WITH HAND ON HANDRAIL. THE HAMMER WAS WORKING ON A BIG ROCK IN THE JAW CRUSHER. THE HAMMER FLIPPED THE ROCK UP AND THE ROCK HIT HIS RIGHT HAND.

2001 · 1 incident