Mining Incidents

Sunshine Precious Metals Inc: 4 recorded fatalities operator

MSHA operator ID: L12117

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Fatalities
4
Total incidents
1,295
Mines on record
1
Years on record
1983–2001
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
118
citations
26
significant & substantial
$10,668
proposed penalties
$10,668
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
15
inspections on record
1,517
inspection hours
7.8
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.
118 citations across 1,517 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.
$11K
proposed penalties
$11K
current assessed
$11K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
118 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $55 in penalties contested before the Commission, $55 was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2001-03-13.
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.
22.0%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
22.0%
reasonably likely or greater
57.6%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 9.3% low, 90.7% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
Injury rate, 2001
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.
10.80
total case rate
2.16
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US metal and nonmetal mining average was 4.48 and the all-US-mining average was 5.26 cases per 100 workers.
Under 100,000 employee-hours were reported that year, so a single case moves the rate by two or more. Read the figure as approximate.
Year total case rate days-away fatal
2001 * 10.80 2.16 0.000
2000 17.96 5.56 0.000
* Fewer than 100,000 employee-hours that year; the rate is less stable.
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.
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
WEST20010212M Settlement Melick 2001 $55 → $55
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

Top causes

Incident timeline

2001
6
2000
53
1999
61
1998
50 (1f)
1997
65
1996
108
1995
69
1994
53 (1f)
1993
45
1992
45
1991
101
1990
133
1989
123 (1f)
1988
114 (1f)
1987
2
1986
16
1985
68
1984
86
1983
97

Mines on record

Fatalities under this operator

4 recorded
January 27, 1998 ID · Metal/Non-Metal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech Fatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Sunshine Precious Metals Inc · Fall down raise, shaft or manway

THREE SHAFT REPAIRMEN WERE IN PROCESS OF TURNING THE ORE SKIP IN PREPARATIOIN TO HOIST WASTE MATERIAL (ROCK). ONE OF TE SKIPS HUNG UP AND EE, VICTIM, FELL DOWN THE SHAFT WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO FREE IT WITH A BAR.

May 13, 1994 ID · Metal/Non-Metal timberman Fatality · FALL OF FACE/RIB/PILLAR/SIDE/HIGHWALL
Sunshine Precious Metals Inc · Struck by falling object

EMPLOYEE WAS IN PROCESS OF CLEANING THE BULKHEAD IN THE RAISE OFF WHEN A ROCKBURST OCCURRED WHICH BURIED HIM AND HIS PARTNER WITH MUCK.

August 22, 1989 ID · Metal/Non-Metal cage/cager/station attendant Fatality · FALLING/SLIDING/ROLLING MATERIALS
Sunshine Precious Metals Inc · Fall to lower level, (Not Elsewhere Classified)

INFLUX OF WATER INTO THE WASTE POCKET 5000 NO 12 SHAFT RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANT HYDRAULIC HEAD CAGERS PULLED ABOUT 8 TONS OF WASTE FROM THE POCKET SUDDEN VIOLENT RELEASE OF PRESSURE CIRCUMVEN TED ALL CONTROL GATES & DEFLECTORS RUSH OF ROCK & WATER WASHED BOTH CAGERS OUT OF CONTROL AREA INTO THE SHAFT ONE LANDED ON A LOADED SKIP OF WASTE WHICH WAS STOPPED OTHER WENT DOWN SHAFT ABOU

March 7, 1988 ID · Metal/Non-Metal Fatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Sunshine Precious Metals Inc · Fall down raise, shaft or manway

VICTIM WANTED TO MEASURE THE CROSS SECTION OF THE TIMBER SLIDE IN THE RAISE MANWAY TO DETERMINE IF A 30 HORSEPOWER ELECTRIC SLUSHER WOULD PASS. HAD PARTNER SPOT TIMBER SKIP AT A POINT 24' BELO W THE 4800 SILL. PROCEEDED TO MAKE MEASUREMENT. PARTNER WAS NOT OBSERVING. A SHORT TIME LATER, PARTNER HEARD A BUMPING SOUND. VICTIM HAD FALLEN ABOUT 50' TO A LANDING IN THE TIMBER SLIDE JUST

For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants

Where Sunshine Precious Metals Inc 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.

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