Airport Surface has $25K in proposed MSHA penalties and $522 outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
1
Years on record
2023
Latest incident
Mar 2023
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2020
73
citations
11
significant & substantial
$24,840
proposed penalties
$22,730
paid to date
92% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $2,110 gap.
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.
73 citations across 1,204 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Airport Surface has $25K in proposed MSHA penalties and $522 outstanding across 1 contested dockets.
Penalty disposition
ⓘDifferences between proposed and paid penalties reflect both settlements and conference reductions and amounts still owed. Outstanding is the balance currently owed.
$25K
proposed penalties
$23K
current assessed
$23K
paid to date
$522
outstanding
73 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $4K in penalties contested before the Commission, $3K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2024-10-09.
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.
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.
2citations taken to the federal commission · 3% of citations on record
Settled
2 · 100%
35%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$4K proposed, $3K 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 A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record.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 2022-07-21.
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 mine contested before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, with the outcome on record.
MSHA sampling at Airport Surface shows 100% of 156 respirable coal dust samples met the 1.5 mg/m3 standard.
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.
Respirable coal dust
ⓘRespirable coal dust and silica figures cover coal facilities. Dust compliance is measured against the current 1.5 mg/m3 standard; samples predating the 2014 standard are included, so compliance rates are a coarse historical signal.
Last sampled: 2025-02-26
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
156
samples
0.55
dust max (mg/m3)
0
over MSHA ECV
ⓘThe excessive concentration value (ECV) is MSHA's own per-sample enforcement threshold, which builds in measurement uncertainty; a sample over its ECV can trigger a citation. The count covers only samples MSHA assigned an ECV.
77 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 79 by the operator.
Noise
ⓘThe share counts noise samples whose measured dose exceeded the 90 dBA permissible exposure limit. It describes the sampled workplace, not what reached the miner's ear: hearing conservation programs and the hearing protection worn during the shift are recorded separately and are not reflected here.
Health sampling trend
ⓘ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.
Respirable coal dust by year
ⓘRespirable coal dust and silica figures cover coal facilities. Dust compliance is measured against the current 1.5 mg/m3 standard; samples predating the 2014 standard are included, so compliance rates are a coarse historical signal.
Airport Surface recorded 5.97 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2023.
Injury rate, 2023
ⓘ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.
5.97
total case rate
5.97
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.17 and the all-US-mining average was 2.10 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 2.23 cases per 100 workers that year.
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
2023 *
5.97
5.97
0.000
2022
0.00
0.00
0.000
2021
0.00
0.00
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.
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
ⓘCoal production is reported quarterly and lags the current period; the most recent quarters may be incomplete.
Year
Employees
Coal produced (tons)
2026
0
2025
0
2024
0
2023
13
172,545
2022
53
481,089
2021
64
538,412
2020
55
336,216
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Airport Surface sits in Buchanan County, Virginia, where the Census mining category is 11.2% of county employment.
Local economic context
ⓘCounty figures come from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 5-year pooled estimates, so the 2023 vintage covers 2019 through 2023. The Census category is 'mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction', which is broader than MSHA jurisdiction and includes oil and gas workers no mine employs. These figures describe the surrounding county, not this mine, and are not a factor in any specific incident.
Buchanan County, Virginia · Population 19,857
11.2%
Mining share of county employment
$42,216
Median household income
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates.
Quarterly safety rates
ⓘCitations per million reported employee-hours. Rates begin in 2000, when MSHA's quarterly employment data starts; earlier incidents are counted but cannot be rate-adjusted. Quarters under 100,000 reported hours are greyed: too few hours for a stable rate.
Citations per million employee-hours, as reported to MSHA
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2026 Q2
0
0
0
2026 Q1
0
0
0
2025 Q4
0
0
0
2025 Q3
0
0
0
2025 Q2
0
0
0
2025 Q1
0
0
0
2024 Q4
0
1
0
2024 Q3
0
0
0
Show 17 earlier quartersHide earlier quarters
Quarter
Hours worked
Citations
S&S
Per 1M hrs
2024 Q2
0
1
0
2024 Q1
0
0
0
2023 Q4
3,357
0
0
0.0
2023 Q3
5,638
0
0
0.0
2023 Q2
4,069
3
1
737.3
2023 Q1
20,418
1
0
49.0
2022 Q4
27,028
3
0
111.0
2022 Q3
33,572
0
0
0.0
2022 Q2
37,401
14
2
374.3
2022 Q1
44,522
0
0
0.0
2021 Q4
40,409
14
0
346.5
2021 Q3
41,965
0
0
0.0
2021 Q2
45,907
4
1
87.1
2021 Q1
45,164
0
0
0.0
2020 Q4
40,499
2
0
49.4
2020 Q3
43,455
1
0
23.0
2020 Q2
27,497
3
0
109.1
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
1 on file
2023 · 1 incident
March 29, 2023VA · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDLING OF MATERIALS
A mechanic was attempting to install an equalizer bar on a dozer. While positioning the bar, the belly pan fell catching EE's left hand between the belly pan and the bar. This resulted on the loss of the left ring finger.