Mining Incidents

Koontz Coal

Beechwood Coal LLC · Surface
Lonaconing, Allegany County, MD  ·  Active
MSHA Mine ID: 1800824

MSHA sampling at Koontz shows 100% of 12 respirable coal dust samples met the 1.5 mg/m3 standard, plus the mine's fatality, citation, and penalty record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
0
Years on record
Latest incident
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2025
3
inspections on record
35
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: 35 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Koontz shows 100% of 12 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: 2026-08-25
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
12
samples
0.37
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.
4 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 8 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR5
  • HIGHWALL DRILL OPERATOR4
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR2

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2026-03-04
16.0
silica avg (%)
1
samples
16.0
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR1

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.

Last sampled: 2026-02-27
0%
over PEL
4
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR2
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR1
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE1
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
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.
Year within 1.5 mg/m3 samples
2026 100% 10
2025 100% 2
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Ownership history
  1. Beechwood Coal LLC 2025 to present
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 7 22,169
2025 6 9,091
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Koontz sits in Allegany County, Maryland, where the Census mining category is 0.1% 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.
Allegany County, Maryland · Population 67,762
0.1%
Mining share of county employment
$57,393
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 4,161 0 0 0.0
2026 Q1 3,724 0 0 0.0
2025 Q4 3,830 0 0 0.0
2025 Q3 856 0 0 0.0

No reportable incidents on file.

MSHA has no recorded reportable accidents for this mine in the current dataset. New reports appear here within a week of being filed.