MINE DETAILS
Vernal Pit & Mill
MSHA MINE ID4200998
LOCATION
Mine location
1 of 1 mine with usable MSHA coordinates. Select a marker to open a mine.
Mine coordinates
- Vernal Pit & Mill40.45556, -109.52861Open map ↗
Quarterly trends
2025 Q1 – 2026 Q4
Database snapshot · 2026-10-13. MSHA quarterly production and employment reports.
Coal production
0reported short tons
Hours worked
495,986reported employee hours
Tons per hour
0.00production ÷ hours worked
Missing values appear as —. Totals use available reports. Tons per hour requires production and hours for the same quarters and a nonzero hours total. * Striped bars mark partial mine coverage or an incomplete quarter. See the table for coverage.
Quarterly data and reporting coverage
| Quarter | Coal (short tons) | Hours worked | Tons / hour | Avg. employees | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q1 | 0 | 81,739 | 0.00 | 156 | 1/1 mines reporting |
| 2025 Q2 | 0 | 82,712 | 0.00 | 158 | 1/1 mines reporting |
| 2025 Q3 | 0 | 82,641 | 0.00 | 163 | 1/1 mines reporting |
| 2025 Q4 | 0 | 82,049 | 0.00 | 162 | 1/1 mines reporting |
| 2026 Q1 | 0 | 82,300 | 0.00 | 160 | 1/1 mines reporting |
| 2026 Q2 | 0 | 84,545 | 0.00 | 161 | 1/1 mines reporting |
| 2026 Q3 | — | — | — | — | No report |
| 2026 Q4 | — | — | — | — | No report |
Safety and enforcement
2025-01-01 – 2026-10-13
Violations
130 significant & substantial (S&S)
Accident records
30 records classified as fatality
Proposed penalties · USD
569.003 of 13 violations with amounts
On-site inspection hours
227.754 inspections · 4 with hours
Counts are published records, including contractor records. * The quarter was incomplete at the snapshot date; recent counts may rise as reports arrive. — means no reported amount or hours. Portfolio totals use current membership.
Quarterly safety data
| Quarter | Violations | S&S | Proposed USD | Accident records | Fatality records | Inspections | On-site hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-Q1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025-Q2 | 2 | 0 | 418.00 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 41.0 |
| 2025-Q3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5.0 |
| 2025-Q4 | 1 | 0 | 151.00 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 85.5 |
| 2026-Q1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2026-Q2 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2026-Q3 | 10 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 96.3 |
| 2026-Q4 * | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Most cited CFR sections
All violations issued in the selected period. Counts combine subsections.
Safety activity
56.12028
56.12018
56.12030
56.12030
56.4201(a)(1)
56.12004
56.12020
56.14100(c)
56.12008
56.4201(a)(5)
Regular Safety and Health Inspection · 96.3 on-site hours
SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON · DAYS AWAY FROM WORK ONLY
Accident narrative
Mechanic trip on a cord and fell to the floor. Left shoulder was injured when they hit the floor
HANDLING OF MATERIALS · DAYS AWAY FROM WORK ONLY
Accident narrative
While cleaning the floor in the SAG mil, employee attempted to throw a 5-inch grinding ball into an elevated ball bin. The ball came back down & struck employee's left middle finger as the were holding onto the lower part of the structure. Impact caught the finger between the grinding ball & the structure resulting in a laceration requiring stitches and a fracture of the finger.
56.12018 · $151.00 proposed
Regular Safety and Health Inspection · 85.5 on-site hours
Special Emphasis Programs · 5.0 on-site hours
MACHINERY · DAYS RESTRICTED ACTIVITY ONLY
Accident narrative
As part of a routine inspection of a cyclone, the overflow pipe was removed & being reinstalled. The pipe was suspended by an overhead crane; another mechanic was pushing on the pipe to align the bolts. The pipe hung up, causing it to bounce. When it bounced, the nylon strap broke, & pipe fell, striking the mechanic's right hand between a pry bar & the overflow pipe flange.
56.14100(c) · $209.00 proposed
Regular Safety and Health Inspection · 41.0 on-site hours
56.12004 · $209.00 proposed
Safety sources and definitions
MSHA Violations (issue date), Accidents (accident date), and Inspections (begin date). Snapshot 2026-10-13.
Counts describe published rows, including contractor records; accident records are not distinct incidents or numbers of people injured.
Zero means no matching records in the imported sources, not proof of no events. Historical coverage differs by source; absence before a source begins reporting is not a zero incident rate. Invalid or absent dates and records after the snapshot are excluded.
S&S means SIG_SUB=Y. Fatality records use DEGREE_INJURY_CD=01. Proposed penalties are not final assessed or paid amounts; missing dollar values are omitted.
Inspection hours are SUM_TOTAL_ON_SITE_HOURS attributed to the inspection start date, without supervisor/trainee hours. Missing hours are omitted; a started inspection may still be open.
Portfolio totals use current mine membership, including events before the current owner or operator's tenure.
CFR headings link to the current Title 30 index; they are not historical legal determinations.
OWNERSHIP
Operator and controller history
Current ownership comes from MSHA Mines. Historical start and end dates come from MSHA Controller and Operator History.
—
Scott SimplotcontrolsSimplot Phosphates LLCoperatesVernal Pit & Mill
msha-controller-operator-history · controller/operator co-tenure derived on mine 4200998—
Simplot J R Company & Farmland IndustriescontrolsSimplot Phosphates LLCoperatesVernal Pit & Mill
msha-controller-operator-history · controller/operator co-tenure derived on mine 4200998—
Chevron CorporationcontrolsChevron Chemical CompanyoperatesVernal Pit & Mill
msha-controller-operator-history · controller/operator co-tenure derived on mine 4200998—
Unilever United States InccontrolsStauffer Chemical CompanyoperatesVernal Pit & Mill
msha-controller-operator-history · controller/operator co-tenure derived on mine 4200998Other historical summaries · source-specific periods
RECORD SUMMARY
Production, safety and enforcement
These summaries use the periods stated on each card, independently of the reporting period above.
01 / SAFETYwatch
Accidents and injuries
86 historical accident/injury rows; 0 coded fatalities and 882 lost days across the published record.
ACCIDENT + INJURY RECORD13 since 2021
accidentsmine-production-quarterly02 / COMPLIANCEwatch
Violations and penalties
196 violation rows across the full record; 26 carry an S&S flag and $30,719 appears in current assessed amounts.
ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITY48 since 2021
inspectionsviolationsassessed-violationsorders-107a03 / HEALTHcontext
Occupational health samples
71 personal. 0 personal-sample rows have a published C/E ratio above 1; 0 noise rows have an action-level or PEL dose above 100%. These are separate measures, not a silica exceedance count. Silica results and sample status are shown separately.
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE71 samples
personal-health-samples04 / PRODUCTIONcontext
Quarterly production and employment
85K employee hours and 161 summed average employees across reported subunits in the latest published quarter.
2026-Q20 tons
mine-production-quarterlymine-production-yearly05 / LEGALwatch
Contests, conferences and decisions
2 contested-violation rows, 2 civil-penalty docket/decision rows, and 2 conference records linked by issuance number.
POST-ISSUANCE LIFECYCLE6 linked rows
conferencescontested-violationscivil-penalty-dockets-decisions06 / CONTRACTORScontext
Contractors
Contractors are linked through this mine’s violation or accident records. Their production and hours cover all their operations, so they are not included in this mine’s totals.
ENTITY-LEVEL CONTEXT12 linked entities
contractor-production-quarterlycontractor-production-yearlyaccidentsviolations07 / INSPECTIONScontext
Inspections
80 inspection events and 4K published inspection hours across the historical record.
OVERSIGHT COVERAGE21 since 2021
inspectionsviolationsHEALTH SAMPLING
Silica and quartz
Coal quartz, metal/nonmetal personal samples and area samples. Snapshot Oct 13, 2026. 28 silica records across the mine’s published history.
Personal silica samples · concentration / limit
Quarterly mean · published C/E ratio
— No eligible measurements. * Quarter in progress. Means describe the available samples, not average exposure across the mine.
Quartz % is the sample’s quartz content; µg/m³ is its reported concentration. Personal C/E is the ratio to the limit published with that sample. Personal and area concentration units and void status are not specified in those source files.
| Date / sample | Dataset / analyte | Occupation / area | Measurement | Sample status | Published action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 000000202600109700 | Metal/nonmetal personalQuartz, respirable, >1% Qtz | Bulldozer Operator | 0.26× published limitConcentration: 0000.19 · limit: 0000.74Source unit unspecified | Not reported | NO ACTIONInspection F033020 |
| 000000202600109900 | Metal/nonmetal personalQuartz, respirable, >1% Qtz | Drill Operator, Rotary | 0.29× published limitConcentration: 0000.20 · limit: 0000.69Source unit unspecified | Not reported | NO ACTIONInspection F033020 |
| 000000202600110000 | Metal/nonmetal personalQuartz, respirable, >1% Qtz | Truck Driver | 0× published limitConcentration: 0000.14 · limit: 0000.00Source unit unspecified | Not reported | NO ACTIONInspection F033020 |
Sources and interpretation
- Coal means use numeric concentrations from samples marked not voided, excluding control/invalid sample types and dates after the snapshot. Missing values remain null; reported zeroes remain zero.
- Quarterly means describe available samples, not mine-wide or worker-average exposure. Quarters with no eligible measurements remain empty; the current quarter is partial.
- Personal C/E is MSHA's published concentration-to-limit ratio. A value above 1 is not by itself a citation or a determination under the 2024 silica rule. Personal and area files do not publish a void-status field.
- Area records include bulk-dust analyses and are kept separate from personal exposure results. Their concentration units are not specified in the source dictionary.
- Missing samples do not establish safe conditions. Coal quartz percentage and concentration are separate measures. No compliance threshold is inferred for coal samples.
Coal quartz field definitions ↗Metal/nonmetal personal field definitions ↗Metal/nonmetal area field definitions ↗
EIA + TITLE 30
EIA production and cited regulations
EIA annual figures are reported separately from MSHA. Regulation links use the current eCFR snapshot.
Not present in the 2024 EIA coal workbook.
This can mean the operation is non-coal, inactive for the annual period, or outside the EIA-7A reporting population.
30 CFR 56.12028Testing grounding systems.1 recent row ↗30 CFR 56.12018Identification of power switches.2 recent rows ↗30 CFR 56.12030Correction of dangerous conditions.2 recent rows ↗30 CFR 56.4201Inspection.2 recent rows ↗30 CFR 56.12004Electrical conductors.1 recent row ↗30 CFR 56.12020Protection of persons at switchgear.1 recent row ↗30 CFR 56.14100Safety defects; examination, correction and records.2 recent rows ↗30 CFR 56.12008Insulation and fittings for power wires and cables.1 recent row ↗
RECENT PUBLIC RECORDS
Recent violations and samples
Latest records retained for inspection; aggregates above use the full source history.
503095056.12028Citation
503206556.12018Citation
503206456.12030Citation
503206356.12030Citation
503206256.4201(a)(1)Citation
503206156.12004Citation
503094956.12020Citation
503206056.14100(c)Citation
Coal dust, noise and other contaminants. Silica records above ↑
Respirable dust, <.1mgFront-end Loader Operator
C/E: 00.00Concentration: 0000.00 · limit: 0000.00Source unit unspecified
Respirable dust, <.1mgBulldozer Operator
C/E: 00.00Concentration: 0000.00 · limit: 0000.00Source unit unspecified
Respirable dust, <.1mgFront-end Loader Operator
C/E: 00.00Concentration: 0000.00 · limit: 0000.00Source unit unspecified
Respirable dust, <.1mgBall Mill Operator
C/E: 00.00Concentration: 0000.00 · limit: 0000.00Source unit unspecified
Respirable dust, <.1mgBulldozer Operator
C/E: 00.00Concentration: 0000.00 · limit: 0000.00Source unit unspecified
SOURCE COVERAGE
Reporting dates and coverage
15 datasets contain linked records. Missing datasets are listed below.
DATASETROWSWINDOWSTATUS
Accident, Injuries, and Illnessessafety · contractors86Mar 1, 2000—Aug 18, 2026mine-keyed
Addresses of Recordidentity · logistics1Apr 2, 1992—Apr 2, 1992mine-keyed
Assessed Violationscompliance · legal185Aug 2, 2000—Dec 22, 2025mine-keyed
Civil Penalty Dockets and Decisionscompliance · legal2May 20, 2015—Apr 15, 2025mine-keyed
Coal Dust Sampleshealth · safety—No published rowsabsent / not applicable
Conferencescompliance · legal2Dec 5, 2001—Oct 16, 2023mine-keyed
Contested Violationscompliance · legal2Dec 10, 2014—Aug 20, 2024mine-keyed
Contractor Employment and Production — Quarterlycontractors · production · safety1,846Not published—Not publishedentity-linked
Contractor Employment and Production — Yearlycontractors · production · safety399Not published—Not publishedentity-linked
Controller and Operator Historyidentity · compliance4Jan 1, 1950—Jun 30, 1992mine-keyed
Mine Employment and Production — Quarterlyproduction · safety · compliance318Not published—Not publishedmine-keyed
Mine Employment and Production — Yearlyproduction · safety · compliance81Not published—Not publishedmine-keyed
Inspectionssafety · compliance80Feb 2, 2000—Sep 8, 2026mine-keyed
Minesidentity · production · logistics1Not published—Not publishedmine-keyed
Metal and Nonmetal Area Sampleshealth · safety—No published rowsabsent / not applicable
Metal and Nonmetal Personal Health Sampleshealth · safety71Dec 7, 2005—Jan 13, 2026mine-keyed
Noise Sampleshealth · safety · equipment—No published rowsabsent / not applicable
Quartz Samples — Coalhealth · safety—No published rowsabsent / not applicable
Violationscompliance · safety · legal196Aug 2, 2000—Sep 21, 2026mine-keyed
107(a) Orders Issuedsafety · compliance—No published rowsabsent / not applicable
NOTES
Limitations
- Contractor production is entity-level and is never represented as mine-attributable.
- Missing rows can mean no event, publication delay, identity mismatch, or inapplicability.