78% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $1,056,099 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
758
inspections on record
30,989
inspection hours
11.5
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.
3,565 citations across 30,989 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.
$4.8M
proposed penalties
$3.9M
current assessed
$3.7M
paid to date
$156K
outstanding
3,415 assessments are final orders; 143 contested dockets.
Of $2.2M in penalties contested before the Commission, $1.2M was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-07-10.
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.
1.99
total case rate
0.43
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
2.94
0.59
0.000
2025
1.99
0.43
0.000
2024
3.67
0.14
0.000
2023
2.97
1.19
0.000
2022
2.46
0.62
0.000
2021
3.50
0.48
0.000
2020
4.08
1.25
0.000
2019
4.38
0.94
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: 2026-06-02
13%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
384
samples
319
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
Nuisance dust, total, <1% Qtz8528 over
Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz1038 over
Calcium oxide364 over
Nuisance dust, respirable, <1% Qtz44
Area samples (mill and shop air)
Last sampled: 2016-07-17, 10 years ago
50
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.
630citations taken to the federal commission · 18% of citations on record
Settled
562 · 89%
Stood as issued
16 · 3%
Vacated or withdrawn
5 · 1%
Still open
47 · 7%
72%
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 268 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
46%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$2.2M proposed, $1.2M 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 2026-07-20. 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.
August 9, 2024TX · Metal/Non-Metalmaster mechanic, foreman, supervisorFatality · ELECTRICAL
Buzzi Unicem USA · Flash burns (electric)
Arc flash event involving electrical equipment that resulted in burns to the employee's arms and torso as well as electrical equipment damage. The employee was injured and hospitalized after the incident but, passed away in the hospital on 08/22/2024.
May 18, 2015MO · Metal/Non-Metalhaul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driverFatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Buzzi Unicem USA · Fall from machine
A delivery truck driver for Stericycle Environmental Solutions arrived at Alternate Fuels to deliver drums. After opening trailer doors, the driver walked back to the cab of his truck and proceeded to climb the steps to get back in the cab when he suddenly fell backwards onto the ground striking the back of his head.
October 11, 2008MO · Metal/Non-Metalwarehouseman, bagger, palletizer/stacker, store keeper, packager, fabricator, cleaning plant operatorFatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Buzzi Unicem USA · Fall to lower level, (Not Elsewhere Classified)
The Employee was on the surface of a clean dry barge in daylight hours with no movement and light wind. The Ee passed through the #2 port hatch opening and made contact with the empty hopper floor. Cause is unknown. Ee was installing a dust prevention tarp across the port hatch opening before the incident. The operator contests MSHA jurisdiction.
June 3, 2002MO · Metal/Non-Metalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techFatality · MACHINERY
Buzzi Unicem USA · Struck by flying object
THE SPECIFIC CAUSE OF THIS ACCIDENT IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION. THE BUCKET ELEVATOR DRIVE ASSEMBLY FAILED AND THE VICTIM WAS STRUCK BY FRAGMENTS FROM THAT SYSTEM.
For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants
Where Buzzi Unicem USA 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.