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: 784 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Vernalis Plant has $11K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 1 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.
$11K
proposed penalties
$11K
current assessed
$11K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
61 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $1K in penalties contested before the Commission, $1K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-04-13.
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.
5citations taken to the federal commission · 8% of citations on record
Settled
5 · 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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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 5 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$1K proposed, $1K 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 A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record.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 2010-11-30.
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.
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: 2026-04-15
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
14
samples
5
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Respirable dust, <.1mg9
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz5
Show the individual readings (14)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2026-04-15
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.17
0.59
0.29
Front-end Loader Operator
2026-04-15
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.2
0.6
0.33
Truck Driver
2025-09-23
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Laborer, Bullgang
2025-09-23
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.48
0.56
0.86
Laborer, Bullgang
2021-01-20
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Supervisor, Co. Official
2021-01-20
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2018-04-25
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2014-07-09
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Scraper Operator
2014-07-09
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Truck Driver
2014-07-09
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.56
0.6
0.93
Crusher Oper/Worker
2014-07-09
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Crusher Oper/Worker
2010-10-07
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.3
0.8
0.38
Laborer, Bullgang
2010-10-07
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Scraper Operator
2010-10-07
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Crusher Oper/Worker
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.
Vernalis Plant 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 and are withheld below 20,000 hours in a year. Employment reports reach back to 1983, but those earlier years come from MSHA's archived file format and are not used in rates.
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 1.98 cases per 100 workers.
In California, metal and nonmetal mining averaged 1.43 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
25
2025
24
2024
22
2023
21
2022
21
2021
21
2020
20
2019
20
2018
19
2017
18
2016
17
2015
19
2014
14
2013
17
2012
21
2011
20
2010
21
2009
32
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly; years before 2000 come from MSHA's archived Part 50 employment files.
Vernalis Plant sits in San Joaquin County, California, 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.
San Joaquin County, California · Population 787,416
0.1%
Mining share of county employment
$88,531
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; earlier incidents are counted but not rate-adjusted, though reported hours reach back to 1983. Quarters under 100,000 reported hours are greyed: too few hours for a stable rate.
Citations per million employee-hours, as reported to MSHA
Screen Deck # 5 at Vernalis rock plant caught fire. No injuries as result of fire. Local Fire department was called immediately by maintenance foreman. Foreman was cutting out holes with cutting torch in preparation on the installation of the impact plates.
2010 · 1 incident
July 22, 2010CA · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techMACHINERY
Worker was removing a bolt using a wrench and impact gun. Nut stuck and the force of the impact gun forced the wrench down and pinched off the tip of his finger
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