Highland Enterprises LLC: 70 MSHA citations operator
Controlled by
Robert W Blewett
MSHA operator ID: 0070143
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- Fatalities
- 0
- Total incidents
- 1
- Mines on record
- 1
- Years on record
- 2007
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2006
70
citations
11
significant & substantial
$18,580
proposed penalties
$16,241
paid to date
87% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $2,339 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2006
29
inspections on record
475
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: 475 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
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.$19K
proposed penalties
$17K
current assessed
$16K
paid to date
$391
outstanding
69 assessments are final orders; 9 contested dockets.
Of $13K in penalties contested before the Commission, $10K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-05-13.
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.15.9%
significant & substantial
8.7%
high negligence or reckless
15.9%
reasonably likely or greater
66.7%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 15.9% low, 75.4% moderate, 8.7% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, 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: 2013-11-13, 12 years ago
ⓘ
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.0%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
5
samples
1
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
- Unlisted Particulate, respirable, <1% Qtz4
- Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz1
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.
33
citations taken to the federal commission · 47% of citations on record
- Settled 32 · 97%
- Stood as issued 1 · 3%
54%
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 13 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
16%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$12K proposed, $10K 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 2019-07-08. 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.
| Docket | Decision | Judge | Year | Proposed / upheld |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEST 2014-0379 | Settlement | Barbour | 2015 | $5K → $4K |
| WEST 2010-405M | Settlement | McCarthy | 2012 | $2K → $2K |
| WEST 2009-1213M | Settlement | McCarthy | 2012 | $2K → $2K |
| WEST 2013-943M | Settlement | Barbour | 2015 | $2K → $2K |
| WEST 2010-724M | Settlement | McCarthy | 2011 | $797 → $600 |
| WEST 2011-261M | Settlement | McCarthy | 2012 | $443 → $400 |
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
Top causes
- MACHINERY 1 non-fatal
Incident timeline
2007
1
Mines on record
- Mt Solo Pit ID
For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants
Where Highland Enterprises LLC 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.
The federal record itself stays free on this site. What costs money, and why.