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: 487 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
WASTA SAND PLANT has $4K 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.
$4K
proposed penalties
$4K
current assessed
$4K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
34 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $100 in penalties contested before the Commission, $0 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-03-21.
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.
1citations taken to the federal commission · 3% of citations on record
Vacated or withdrawn
1 · 100%
0%
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 Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.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%
100%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$100 proposed, $0 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 A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record.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 2014-02-24.
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: 2021-07-20, 5 years ago
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
11
samples
4
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Respirable dust, <.1mg6
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz5
Show the individual readings (11)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2021-07-20
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.24
Front-end Loader Operator
2021-07-20
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.3
0.94
0.32
Washer Operator
2021-07-20
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2018-12-04
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Supervisor, Co. Official
2018-12-04
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Scale Man
2012-09-26
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.14
1.02
0.14
Cleanup Man
2012-09-26
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.25
0.99
0.25
Supervisor, Co. Official
2012-09-26
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Front-end Loader Operator
2012-09-26
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.25
0.73
0.34
Front-end Loader Operator
2011-07-13
Respirable dust, <.1mg
0
Scale Man
2011-07-13
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.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year
Employees
2025
1
2024
0
2023
1
2022
1
2021
5
2020
4
2019
2
2018
5
2017
1
2016
5
2015
5
2014
4
2013
2
2012
2
2011
3
2010
3
2009
3
2008
2
2007
2
2006
2
2005
2
2004
4
2003
4
2002
5
2001
4
2000
5
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
WASTA SAND PLANT sits in Pennington County, South Dakota, where the Census mining category is 0.9% 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.
Pennington County, South Dakota · Population 112,081
0.9%
Mining share of county employment
$70,768
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
2025 Q4
0
0
0
2025 Q3
0
0
0
2025 Q2
1,605
0
0
0.0
2025 Q1
633
2
1
3159.6
2024 Q3
0
0
0
2023 Q4
135
0
0
0.0
2023 Q3
209
0
0
0.0
2023 Q2
394
0
0
0.0
Show 87 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2023 Q1
991
0
0
0.0
2022 Q4
727
0
0
0.0
2022 Q3
359
0
0
0.0
2022 Q2
523
0
0
0.0
2022 Q1
606
0
0
0.0
2021 Q4
819
0
0
0.0
2021 Q3
2,581
1
0
387.4
2021 Q2
4,272
0
0
0.0
2021 Q1
3,245
0
0
0.0
2020 Q4
1,174
0
0
0.0
2020 Q3
2,399
0
0
0.0
2020 Q2
2,832
0
0
0.0
2020 Q1
2,201
2
0
908.7
2019 Q4
1,765
0
0
0.0
2019 Q3
1,728
0
0
0.0
2019 Q2
922
0
0
0.0
2019 Q1
289
0
0
0.0
2018 Q4
1,089
3
1
2754.8
2018 Q3
2,239
0
0
0.0
2018 Q2
3,120
0
0
0.0
2018 Q1
3,202
2
0
624.6
2017 Q4
2,218
0
0
0.0
2017 Q2
0
0
0
2017 Q1
0
0
0
2016 Q3
1,139
0
0
0.0
2016 Q2
2,664
0
0
0.0
2016 Q1
4,211
0
0
0.0
2015 Q4
157
0
0
0.0
2015 Q3
2,483
0
0
0.0
2015 Q2
3,397
0
0
0.0
2015 Q1
3,868
0
0
0.0
2014 Q4
744
0
0
0.0
2014 Q3
1,415
0
0
0.0
2014 Q2
2,939
0
0
0.0
2014 Q1
2,817
0
0
0.0
2013 Q4
805
2
1
2484.5
2013 Q3
0
0
0
2013 Q2
554
0
0
0.0
2013 Q1
1,690
0
0
0.0
2012 Q4
2,313
0
0
0.0
2012 Q3
1,098
0
0
0.0
2012 Q2
47
0
0
0.0
2012 Q1
815
0
0
0.0
2011 Q4
3,356
2
1
595.9
2011 Q3
1,990
3
1
1507.5
2011 Q2
718
0
0
0.0
2011 Q1
437
0
0
0.0
2010 Q4
2,016
0
0
0.0
2010 Q3
1,207
0
0
0.0
2010 Q2
1,833
0
0
0.0
2010 Q1
1,817
2
0
1100.7
2009 Q4
2,332
0
0
0.0
2009 Q3
1,270
0
0
0.0
2009 Q2
1,187
0
0
0.0
2009 Q1
946
0
0
0.0
2008 Q4
1,104
5
1
4529.0
2008 Q3
340
0
0
0.0
2007 Q2
1,266
0
0
0.0
2007 Q1
1,076
0
0
0.0
2006 Q4
1,126
3
0
2664.3
2006 Q3
1,207
0
0
0.0
2006 Q2
1,110
2
2
1801.8
2006 Q1
990
0
0
0.0
2005 Q4
948
0
0
0.0
2005 Q3
1,137
0
0
0.0
2005 Q2
1,131
1
0
884.2
2005 Q1
1,064
0
0
0.0
2004 Q4
1,044
1
1
957.9
2004 Q3
3,197
0
0
0.0
2004 Q2
1,262
0
0
0.0
2004 Q1
2,090
0
0
0.0
2003 Q4
2,106
1
0
474.8
2003 Q3
1,232
0
0
0.0
2003 Q2
2,293
2
1
872.2
2003 Q1
2,457
0
0
0.0
2002 Q4
2,169
0
0
0.0
2002 Q3
2,840
0
0
0.0
2002 Q2
2,423
0
0
0.0
2002 Q1
2,216
0
0
0.0
2001 Q4
1,938
0
0
0.0
2001 Q3
2,240
0
0
0.0
2001 Q2
2,149
0
0
0.0
2001 Q1
3,668
0
0
0.0
2000 Q4
3,345
0
0
0.0
2000 Q3
3,071
0
0
0.0
2000 Q2
1,339
0
0
0.0
2000 Q1
1,112
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
8 on file
2006 · 1 incident
August 2, 2006SD · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerDISORDERS (REPEATED TRAUMA)
HEARING LOSS IN BOTH EARS DUE TO LONG TERM EXPOSURE TO EXCESSIVE NOISE. EE FILED A FIRST REPORT OF INJURY ON 10-18-99, AND WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NOISE INDUCED HEARING LOSS ON 10-26-99. HE HAS BEN N EMPLOYED BY BIRDSALL SAND & GRAVEL SINCE 9-1-77, AND HIS HEARING LOSS HAS OCCURED OVER THE PAST 22 YEARS.
March 23, 1999SD · Metal/Non-Metalbulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineerHANDLING OF MATERIALS
WHILE SETTING UP EQUIPMENT AT THE WASTA SAND PLANT EE FELT AN ACHE IN LOWER LEFT SIDE OF HIS BACK. THE PAIN BECAME PROGRESSIVLY WORSE AS THE DAYS PASSED. EE DECIDED TO SEEK MEDICAL CARE ON 3/2 5/99 AND FILE A FIRST REPORT OF INJURY.
1997 · 1 incident
July 11, 1997SD · Metal/Non-Metalhaul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driverHANDLING OF MATERIALS
EMPLOYEE WAS USING A COME-A-LONG TO PULL A HEAD SHAFT FORWARD AND THE CHAIN BROKE AND HE FELL TO THE FLOOR APPROX. 7'. HE BROKE FINGER ON RIGHT HAND AND FRACTURED PELVIS. DID NOT DISLOCATE.
1992 · 1 incident
November 6, 1992SD · Metal/Non-Metalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorHANDLING OF MATERIALS
EMPLOYEE COMPAINED OF SORE OR STIFF NECK. HE DID NOT KNOW WHEN OR WHERE IT HAPPENED. THE CO. SENT HIM TO THE DOCTOR TO BE SURE NOTHING WAS WRONG. THE DOCTOR FOUND NOTHING WRONG, BUT ID PRESCRI BE A MUSCLE RELAXANT MEDICATION. HE CALLED A FRED JUOTPERI WITH MSHA HE SAID A REPORT WAS REQUIRED.
April 19, 1989SD · Metal/Non-Metalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
HE WAS TRIMMING SOME EDGES OFF A CONVEYOR BELT WITH A BELT KNIFE. HE SLIPPED THRU THE BELT AFTER MAKING A CUT AND STUCK HIMSELF IN THE RIGHT FOREARM. SMALL CUT THAT NEEDED 5 STITCHES.
Related mines
Other mines operated by Pete Lien & Sons Inc/Sand & Gravel Division