Koontz Mine: 39 MSHA citations Coal
Heritage Coal & Natural Resources LLC
· Surface
Controlled by
KTRV LLC
Klondike,
Allegany County,
MD
·
Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1800781
Koontz Mine has $253K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 3 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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- Fatalities
- 0
- Total incidents
- 0
- Years on record
- —
- Latest incident
- —
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2008
39
citations
24
significant & substantial
$252,690
proposed penalties
$151,469
paid to date
60% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $101,221 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2008
14
inspections on record
293
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: 293 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Koontz Mine has $253K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 3 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.$253K
proposed penalties
$151K
current assessed
$151K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
39 assessments are final orders; 3 contested dockets.
Of $195K in penalties contested before the Commission, $94K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2009-10-20.
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.61.5%
significant & substantial
38.5%
high negligence or reckless
61.5%
reasonably likely or greater
30.8%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 0.0% low, 61.5% moderate, 25.6% high, 12.8% reckless.
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.
7
citations taken to the federal commission · 18% of citations on record
- Settled 7 · 100%
100%
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 7 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
52%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$195K proposed, $94K 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 2010-03-23.
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.
| Docket | Decision | Judge | Year | Proposed / upheld |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YORK 2010-197 | Settlement | Koutras | 2011 | $147K → $74K |
| YORK 2009-244 | Settlement | Koutras | 2011 | $36K → $11K |
| YORK 2009-56 | Settlement | Lesnick | 2010 | $12K → $9K |
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
MSHA sampling at Koontz Mine shows 100% of 11 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: 2009-10-19, 16 years ago
ⓘ
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.100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
11
samples
0.24
dust max (mg/m3)
11 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 0 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR3
- COAL SHOVEL OPERATOR3
- REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE3
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: 2009-10-14, 16 years ago
ⓘ
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.0%
over PEL
12
samples
Most-sampled occupations
- BULLDOZER OPERATOR3
- REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE3
- STRIPPING SHOVEL OPERATOR3
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 100% | 7 |
| 2008 | 100% | 4 |
Noise by year
| Year | over PEL | samples |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 0% | 9 |
| 2008 | 0% | 3 |
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Koontz Mine recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2009.
Injury rate, 2009
ⓘ
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.0.00
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
No reportable injury cases in any year shown. Employee-hours were reported in each of those years, so these are true zeros rather than missing data. Citations, listed in the compliance record above, are inspector-found violations and are counted separately from worker injuries.
Below average. The US coal mining average was 4.16 and the all-US-mining average was 3.36 cases per 100 workers.
In Maryland, coal mining averaged 2.11 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.
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.
Ownership history
- Heritage Coal & Natural Resources LLC 2008 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 18 | 157,782 |
| 2008 | 16 | 30,089 |
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Koontz Mine 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Q2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2010 Q1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2009 Q4 | 6,353 | 11 | 3 | 1731.5 |
| 2009 Q3 | 10,244 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2009 Q2 | 10,039 | 4 | 4 | 398.4 |
| 2009 Q1 | 9,996 | 3 | 0 | 300.1 |
| 2008 Q4 | 6,216 | 21 | 17 | 3378.4 |
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.