U.S. Silver-Idaho, Inc. · Struck by falling object
Miner was working in the 3200-033 raise. EE was bolting the hanging wall. A large wedge slipped off the wall and pinned the Miner to the foot wall causing fatal crushing injuries.
U.S. Silver-Idaho, Inc.: 4 recorded fatalities operator
Controlled by
Americas Gold and Silver Corporation
MSHA operator ID: L16955
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Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
1,834
citations
433
significant & substantial
$1,492,292
proposed penalties
$1,059,051
paid to date
71% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $433,241 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
360
inspections on record
28,256
inspection hours
6.5
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.1,834 citations across 28,256 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.$1.5M
proposed penalties
$1.1M
current assessed
$1.1M
paid to date
$17K
outstanding
1,760 assessments are final orders; 79 contested dockets.
Of $1.1M in penalties contested before the Commission, $527K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-06-24.
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.24.1%
significant & substantial
8.6%
high negligence or reckless
23.9%
reasonably likely or greater
50.5%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 14.4% low, 77.0% moderate, 8.6% high, 0.0% reckless.
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.7.50
total case rate
0.83
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 | 1.76 | 0.88 | 0.000 |
| 2025 | 7.50 | 0.83 | 0.000 |
| 2024 | 8.33 | 3.33 | 0.000 |
| 2023 | 7.55 | 2.10 | 0.419 |
| 2022 | 4.55 | 3.64 | 0.000 |
| 2021 | 5.47 | 3.64 | 0.000 |
| 2020 | 5.67 | 4.36 | 0.000 |
| 2019 | 9.52 | 5.89 | 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: 2026-07-26
ⓘ
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.26%
of limit-tested samples over the exposure limit
137
samples
130
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
- Quartz, respirable, >1% Qtz4016 over
- Diesel particulate (total carbon)4013 over
- Total Carbon,TC183 over
- Total Carbon,calculated from elemental carbon.182 over
Area samples (mill and shop air)
Last sampled: 2026-01-1314
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.
394
citations taken to the federal commission · 21% of citations on record
- Settled 376 · 95%
- Stood as issued 6 · 2%
- Vacated or withdrawn 5 · 1%
- Still open 7 · 2%
82%
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 231 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
44%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$940K proposed, $524K 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 2026-05-31. 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 2012-263M | Settlement | Gill | 2013 | $196K → $127K |
| WEST 2016-0395 | Settlement | Barbour | 2016 | $118K → $230 |
| WEST 2011-551M | Settlement | Paez | 2012 | $90K → $40K |
| WEST 2011-686M | Settlement | Tureck | 2012 | $77K → $25K |
| WEST 2011-610M | Settlement | Paez | 2014 | $70K → $50K |
| WEST 2015-717M | Settlement | Barbour | 2016 | $60K → $7K |
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
Top causes
- FALL OF ROOF OR BACK 4 fatalities · 89 non-fatal
- HANDLING OF MATERIALS 203 non-fatal
- HOISTING 120 non-fatal
- MACHINERY 118 non-fatal
- SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON 105 non-fatal
- HANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED) 75 non-fatal
Incident timeline
2026
11
2025
19
2024
20
2023
19 (1f)
2022
15
2021
21
2020
26
2019
35
2018
28
2017
22
2016
26
2015
38
2014
31
2013
29
2012
56
2011
34
2010
46 (1f)
2009
25
2008
33
2007
24
2006
33
2005
40
2004
24
2003
22
2002
27
2001
38 (2f)
2000
33
1999
45
1998
35
1997
46
1996
4
1995
1
Mines on record
- Galena ID
Fatalities under this operator
4 recorded
U.S. Silver-Idaho, Inc. · Struck by falling object
Employee was barring down in raise, when a slab fell and crushed employee.
U.S. Silver-Idaho, Inc. · Struck by falling object
EE WAS ROCKBOLTING WHEN THE ROCKBURST HIT, COVERING THE EE WITH 8-10 FT OF BROKEN ROCK
U.S. Silver-Idaho, Inc. · Struck by falling object
EE WAS ROCKBOLTING WHEN THE ROCKBURST HIT, COVERING THE EE WITH 8-10 FT OF BROKEN ROCK
For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants
Where U.S. Silver-Idaho, 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.
The federal record itself stays free on this site. What costs money, and why.