Mining Incidents

WELLES WASH PLANT: 36 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal

A M Welles Inc · Surface
Controlled by Alfred Hokanson
Norris, Madison County, MT  ·  Intermittent
MSHA Mine ID: 2402113

WELLES WASH PLANT has $4K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

Watch this mine

Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at WELLES WASH PLANT.

Fatalities
0
Total incidents
0
Years on record
Latest incident
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2001
36
citations
4
significant & substantial
$3,671
proposed penalties
$3,671
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
40
inspections on record
330
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: 330 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

WELLES WASH 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
35 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $100 in penalties contested before the Commission, $100 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2023-08-11.
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.
11.1%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
8.3%
reasonably likely or greater
41.7%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 11.1% low, 88.9% moderate, 0.0% 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.
1 citations taken to the federal commission · 3% of citations on record
  • Settled 1 · 100%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$100 proposed, $100 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 2009-10-05.
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
WEST 2010-33M Settlement Lesnick 2010 $100 → $100
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: 2018-08-08, 8 years ago
4
samples
0
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
  • Respirable dust, <.1mg2
  • Fibers, >5um1
  • Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz1
Show the individual readings (4)
Date Contaminant Concentration Limit Conc / limit Occupation
2018-08-08 Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz 0.18 Washer Operator
2016-07-13 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2009-09-16 Respirable dust, <.1mg 0 Front-end Loader Operator
2009-05-20 Fibers, >5um 0.03 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.
Ownership history
  1. A M Welles Inc 1997 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Year Employees
2026 1
2025 1
2024 1
2023 1
2022 1
2021 1
2020 1
2019 1
2018 2
2017 2
2016 1
2015 1
2014 1
2013 1
2012 1
2011 1
2010 1
2009 1
2008 1
2007 1
2006 2
2005 1
2004 2
2003 1
2002 2
2001 1
2000 2
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

WELLES WASH PLANT sits in Madison County, Montana, where the Census mining category is 2.4% 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.
Madison County, Montana · Population 8,975
2.4%
Mining share of county employment
$67,420
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 227 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 80 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 192 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 330 0 0 0.0
2025 Q2 342 0 0 0.0
2025 Q1 0 0 0
2024 Q4 264 0 0 0.0
2024 Q3 239 0 0 0.0
Show 98 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2 266 0 0 0.0
2024 Q1 0 0 0
2023 Q4 90 0 0 0.0
2023 Q3 280 1 0 3571.4
2023 Q2 223 0 0 0.0
2023 Q1 18 0 0 0.0
2022 Q4 108 0 0 0.0
2022 Q3 257 0 0 0.0
2022 Q2 310 0 0 0.0
2022 Q1 49 0 0 0.0
2021 Q4 240 0 0 0.0
2021 Q3 550 0 0 0.0
2021 Q2 339 4 0 11799.4
2021 Q1 102 0 0 0.0
2020 Q4 251 0 0 0.0
2020 Q3 488 0 0 0.0
2020 Q2 439 0 0 0.0
2020 Q1 0 0 0
2019 Q4 85 0 0 0.0
2019 Q3 416 0 0 0.0
2019 Q2 546 0 0 0.0
2019 Q1 0 0 0
2018 Q4 72 0 0 0.0
2018 Q3 340 0 0 0.0
2018 Q2 452 0 0 0.0
2018 Q1 0 0 0
2017 Q4 286 0 0 0.0
2017 Q3 208 0 0 0.0
2017 Q2 296 0 0 0.0
2017 Q1 0 0 0
2016 Q4 352 1 0 2840.9
2016 Q3 505 0 0 0.0
2016 Q2 262 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 164 1 0 6097.6
2015 Q4 348 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 185 0 0 0.0
2015 Q2 468 5 0 10683.8
2015 Q1 107 0 0 0.0
2014 Q4 28 0 0 0.0
2014 Q3 388 0 0 0.0
2014 Q2 46 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 0 0 0
2013 Q4 0 0 0
2013 Q3 107 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 361 0 0 0.0
2013 Q1 0 0 0
2012 Q4 7 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 311 0 0 0.0
2012 Q2 331 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 0 0 0
2011 Q4 247 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 702 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 369 0 0 0.0
2011 Q1 0 0 0
2010 Q4 369 1 0 2710.0
2010 Q3 651 0 0 0.0
2010 Q2 686 3 1 4373.2
2010 Q1 0 0 0
2009 Q4 115 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 649 2 0 3081.7
2009 Q2 238 0 0 0.0
2009 Q1 0 0 0
2008 Q4 397 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 533 0 0 0.0
2008 Q2 395 6 2 15189.9
2008 Q1 0 0 0
2007 Q4 388 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 436 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 642 1 0 1557.6
2007 Q1 55 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 490 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 714 0 0 0.0
2006 Q2 652 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 20 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 341 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 432 1 0 2314.8
2005 Q2 311 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 0 0 0
2004 Q4 245 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 650 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 262 4 0 15267.2
2004 Q1 0 0 0
2003 Q4 0 0 0
2003 Q3 303 1 0 3300.3
2003 Q2 557 0 0 0.0
2003 Q1 0 0 0
2002 Q4 0 0 0
2002 Q3 482 1 0 2074.7
2002 Q2 632 0 0 0.0
2002 Q1 0 0 0
2001 Q4 0 0 0
2001 Q3 320 2 1 6250.0
2001 Q2 397 0 0 0.0
2001 Q1 0 0 0
2000 Q4 220 0 0 0.0
2000 Q3 831 0 0 0.0
2000 Q2 652 0 0 0.0
2000 Q1 313 0 0 0.0

No reportable incidents on file.

MSHA has no recorded reportable accidents for this mine in the current dataset. New reports appear here within a week of being filed.