71% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $1,521,641 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
1,118
inspections on record
51,993
inspection hours
12.6
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.
6,538 citations across 51,993 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Penalty disposition
ⓘDifferences between proposed and paid penalties reflect both settlements and conference reductions and amounts still owed. Outstanding is the balance currently owed.
$5.2M
proposed penalties
$4.3M
current assessed
$3.7M
paid to date
$587K
outstanding
6,137 assessments are final orders; 248 contested dockets.
Of $2.6M in penalties contested before the Commission, $1.5M was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-06-16.
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.
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, when quarterly employment reporting starts, and are withheld below 20,000 hours in a year.
2.45
total case rate
0.47
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US metal and nonmetal mining average was 1.65 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2026
3.91
1.12
0.000
2025
2.45
0.47
0.000
2024
1.91
0.29
0.000
2023
2.62
0.40
0.000
2022
3.40
0.53
0.000
2021
3.07
0.22
0.000
2020
2.65
0.44
0.000
2019
3.90
0.21
0.000
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.
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: 2026-08-13
7%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
772
samples
520
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz9219 over
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz15012 over
Calcium oxide744 over
Cadmium oxide fumes411 over
Area samples (mill and shop air)
Last sampled: 2026-05-01
15
samples
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.
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.
1,107citations taken to the federal commission · 17% of citations on record
Settled
877 · 79%
Stood as issued
55 · 5%
Vacated or withdrawn
2 · 0%
Still open
173 · 16%
64%
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 449 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
37%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$2.2M proposed, $1.4M 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 2026-08-05. Vacated and withdrawn citations are removed from the file this view attributes through, so that outcome is slightly undercounted here.
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 operator contested before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, with the outcome on record.
May 10, 2016TX · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techFatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Ash Grove Cement Company · Fall from machine
Employee was found on the floor of the #2 slurry tank. Employee had significant head injuries and was pronounced dead by the Justice of the Peace. The accident scene is currently under a Section 103(k) order and subject to MSHA investigation.
April 16, 2004TX · Metal/Non-Metalhaul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driverFatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Ash Grove Cement Company · Fall from scaffolds, walkways, platforms
Truck driver's lid got stuck on safety cage and when he tried to pry it free, it came loose and sprung and hit him. He fell 11 feet. This was told to me by Ralph Rodriguez.
October 24, 2002AR · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techFatality · EXPLODING VESSELS UNDER PRESSURE
Ash Grove Cement Company · Contact with hot objects or substances
EMPLOYEE WAS TRANSFERRING FUEL WHEN THERE WAS A FAILURE OF A PUMP CAUSING A FIRE.
January 21, 2002OR · Metal/Non-Metallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanFatality · FALLING/SLIDING/ROLLING MATERIALS
Ash Grove Cement Co · Caught in, under or between collapsing material or buildings
MINER POSITIONED HIMSELF OVER WITHDRAWAL POINT IN MIDDLE OF SILO WHILE TRYING TO DISLODGE OBSTRUCTION. WHEN MATERIAL STARTED TO FLOW MINER BEGAN TO SINK AND WAS ENGULFED - RESULTING IN SUFFOC ATION.
October 12, 1999OR · Metal/Non-Metallaborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitmanFatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Ash Grove Cement Co · Fall from scaffolds, walkways, platforms
BOTTOM OF HI-LO BROKE WHILE EMPLOYEE WAS STANDING NEXT TO IT CLEANING OFF REBOUND FROM CABEL. FELL OFF THE DECK 80 FEET TO HIS DEATH.
June 25, 1997UT · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techFatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Ash Grove Cement Company · Fall to lower level, (Not Elsewhere Classified)
FOURTY FOUR YEAR OLD MALE MAINTENANCE SPECIALISTSUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES FROM AN APPARENT FALL IN AN ELEVATOR SHAFT TO THE TOP OF THE ELEVATOR. AN INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING.
Ash Grove Cement Company · Contact with hot objects or substances
EMPL CHECKING MOTION SWITCHES STEPPED FROM LADDER INTO HOT DUST CAUSING BURNS TO FEET,LEGS,ONE HAND.
January 20, 1983NE · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techFatality · FALLING/SLIDING/ROLLING MATERIALS
Ash Grove Cement Company · Struck by falling object
WHILE REPAIRING A 50T OFFHIGHWAY TRUCK, WORKING UNDER THE RAISED AND BLOCKED BED, THE BLOCKS KICKED OUT, AND THE BED FELL SUDDENLY AFTER THREE HOURS OF STABILITY, CRUSHING EMPLOYEE INSTANTLY, FRACTURING SKULL AND CAUSING OTHER MULTIPLE FRACTURES.
For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants
Where Ash Grove Cement Company stands on silica, penalties, and injury rate
MSHA's standard limits respirable silica to 50 micrograms per cubic metre, but MSHA publishes
dust and quartz as separate files and never the silica figure itself. We derive it per sample,
score it against the limit, and set the operator's injury rate against a benchmark built from
the full MSHA operator record. With the 26-year penalty trail, contest posture, and fatality
history. Delivered as a PDF with the underlying data as CSV.