Whales Back Quarry has $2K in proposed MSHA penalties and $200 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
2007
Latest incident
Feb 2007
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2005
23
citations
0
significant & substantial
$2,068
proposed penalties
$1,868
paid to date
90% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $200 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2005
14
inspections on record
148
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: 148 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Whales Back Quarry has $2K in proposed MSHA penalties and $200 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.
$2K
proposed penalties
$2K
current assessed
$2K
paid to date
$200
outstanding
21 assessments are final orders; 2 contested dockets.
Of $838 in penalties contested before the Commission, $838 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2025-06-03.
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.
7citations taken to the federal commission · 30% of citations on record
Settled
7 · 100%
0%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$838 proposed, $838 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 A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record.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 2022-04-25.
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: 2006-05-18, 20 years ago
0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
2
samples
2
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz2
Show the individual readings (2)
Date
Contaminant
Concentration
Limit
Conc / limit
Occupation
2006-05-18
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.18
0.51
0.35
Jackhammer Operator
2006-05-18
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz
0.33
0.45
0.73
Drill Operator, Rotary Air
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
2026
4
2025
3
2024
3
2023
4
2022
4
2021
5
2009
0
2008
2
2007
3
2006
3
2005
2
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Whales Back Quarry sits in Hancock County, Maine, where the Census mining category is 0.0% 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.
Hancock County, Maine · Population 56,084
0.0%
Mining share of county employment
$69,630
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
181
0
0
0.0
2026 Q1
158
0
0
0.0
2025 Q4
186
0
0
0.0
2025 Q3
67
0
0
0.0
2025 Q2
54
1
0
18518.5
2025 Q1
133
0
0
0.0
2024 Q4
97
0
0
0.0
2024 Q3
115
0
0
0.0
Show 27 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2
123
0
0
0.0
2024 Q1
75
0
0
0.0
2023 Q4
262
0
0
0.0
2023 Q3
283
0
0
0.0
2023 Q2
275
0
0
0.0
2023 Q1
372
0
0
0.0
2022 Q4
612
0
0
0.0
2022 Q3
606
3
0
4950.5
2022 Q2
389
0
0
0.0
2022 Q1
215
1
0
4651.2
2021 Q4
340
6
0
17647.1
2009 Q2
0
0
0
2009 Q1
0
0
0
2008 Q4
0
0
0
2008 Q3
64
2
0
31250.0
2008 Q2
497
0
0
0.0
2008 Q1
36
0
0
0.0
2007 Q4
1,126
0
0
0.0
2007 Q3
1,345
0
0
0.0
2007 Q2
1,140
0
0
0.0
2007 Q1
576
0
0
0.0
2006 Q4
752
0
0
0.0
2006 Q3
1,420
0
0
0.0
2006 Q2
1,460
7
0
4794.5
2006 Q1
2,270
0
0
0.0
2005 Q4
1,080
0
0
0.0
2005 Q3
560
2
0
3571.4
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
1 on file
2007 · 1 incident
February 28, 2007ME · Metal/Non-Metaloutside foreman, leadmanMACHINERY
Employee was cutting granite step material on apron in front of shop/office entrance. Granite slab broke catching employee's finger. Employee suffered laceration of finger and hand and was taken to Maine Coast Memorial Hospital emergency services for treatment.