Mining Incidents

Sand Bank: 65 MSHA citations Coal

Ritchie Trucking & Excavating, Inc. · Surface
Frostburg, Allegany County, MD  ·  Abandoned
MSHA Mine ID: 1800760

Sand Bank has $12K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 0 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 2004
65
citations
33
significant & substantial
$11,512
proposed penalties
$11,512
paid to date
100% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $0 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2003
49
inspections on record
987
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: 987 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

Sand Bank has $12K in proposed MSHA penalties and $0 outstanding across 0 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.
$12K
proposed penalties
$12K
current assessed
$12K
paid to date
$0
outstanding
63 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2016-03-16.
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.
52.4%
significant & substantial
0.0%
high negligence or reckless
52.4%
reasonably likely or greater
11.1%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 1.6% none, 19.0% low, 79.4% moderate, 0.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at Sand Bank shows 98% of 122 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: 2016-06-03, 10 years ago
98%
within 1.5 mg/m3
122
samples
3.36
dust max (mg/m3)
1
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.
105 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 17 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR28
  • BACKHOE OPERATOR24
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER24

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2016-03-23, 10 years ago
14.0
silica avg (%)
8
samples
27.7
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR4
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE3
  • BACKHOE 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: 2016-03-16, 10 years ago
4%
over PEL
75
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BULLDOZER OPERATOR20
  • REFUSE TRUCK DRIVER/BACKFILL TRUCK DRIVE15
  • HIGHLIFT OPERATOR/FRONT END LOADER12
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
2016 100% 5
2015 95% 19
2014 100% 7
2013 100% 6
2012 100% 6
2011 100% 8
2010 100% 21
2009 100% 11
2008 100% 6
2007 100% 1
2006 100% 3
2005 100% 5
2004 100% 12
2003 92% 12
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2016 11.6 1
2015 13.6 1
2010 6.8 1
2006 12.1 1
2004 10.7 1
2003 19.1 3
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2016 0% 3
2015 0% 7
2014 0% 3
2013 0% 6
2012 20% 5
2011 0% 7
2010 0% 15
2009 20% 5
2008 14% 7
2007 0% 1
2006 0% 3
2005 0% 3
2004 0% 5
2003 0% 5
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

Sand Bank recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2011.

Injury rate, 2011
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 3.83 and the all-US-mining average was 3.08 cases per 100 workers.
In Maryland, coal mining averaged 4.37 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
2011 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2010 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2009 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2008 * 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.
Ownership history
  1. Ritchie Trucking & Excavating, Inc. 2003 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)
2019 0
2018 0
2017 0
2016 2 5,420
2015 5 49,580
2014 6 52,223
2013 6 71,159
2012 7 57,449
2011 12 121,907
2010 16 123,468
2009 15 88,983
2008 10 73,906
2007 4 27,764
2006 3 38,415
2005 2 20,068
2004 8 65,582
2003 8 37,532
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

Sand Bank 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
2019 Q4 0 0 0
2019 Q3 0 0 0
2019 Q2 0 0 0
2019 Q1 0 0 0
2018 Q4 0 0 0
2018 Q3 0 0 0
2018 Q2 0 0 0
2018 Q1 0 0 0
Show 58 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2017 Q4 0 0 0
2017 Q3 0 0 0
2017 Q2 0 0 0
2017 Q1 0 0 0
2016 Q4 0 0 0
2016 Q3 0 0 0
2016 Q2 2,532 0 0 0.0
2016 Q1 3,021 1 1 331.0
2015 Q4 3,198 0 0 0.0
2015 Q3 2,476 1 0 403.9
2015 Q2 3,006 0 0 0.0
2015 Q1 2,819 2 2 709.5
2014 Q4 2,901 1 0 344.7
2014 Q3 3,506 2 1 570.5
2014 Q2 3,080 0 0 0.0
2014 Q1 3,573 0 0 0.0
2013 Q4 2,701 1 0 370.2
2013 Q3 2,994 0 0 0.0
2013 Q2 3,648 3 2 822.4
2013 Q1 3,198 1 0 312.7
2012 Q4 3,186 0 0 0.0
2012 Q3 2,475 4 2 1616.2
2012 Q2 3,984 0 0 0.0
2012 Q1 6,100 2 2 327.9
2011 Q4 5,335 0 0 0.0
2011 Q3 8,147 0 0 0.0
2011 Q2 7,609 3 1 394.3
2011 Q1 8,134 0 0 0.0
2010 Q4 8,189 2 1 244.2
2010 Q3 7,918 7 6 884.1
2010 Q2 10,419 0 0 0.0
2010 Q1 8,673 5 1 576.5
2009 Q4 6,477 0 0 0.0
2009 Q3 7,373 4 1 542.5
2009 Q2 7,132 0 0 0.0
2009 Q1 8,386 1 1 119.2
2008 Q4 8,197 0 0 0.0
2008 Q3 7,069 7 2 990.2
2008 Q2 3,084 0 0 0.0
2008 Q1 3,017 0 0 0.0
2007 Q4 2,602 0 0 0.0
2007 Q3 1,676 0 0 0.0
2007 Q2 1,581 1 1 632.5
2007 Q1 1,810 0 0 0.0
2006 Q4 1,786 0 0 0.0
2006 Q3 1,141 1 0 876.4
2006 Q2 1,669 0 0 0.0
2006 Q1 1,586 0 0 0.0
2005 Q4 1,108 0 0 0.0
2005 Q3 611 0 0 0.0
2005 Q2 841 0 0 0.0
2005 Q1 585 0 0 0.0
2004 Q4 1,943 0 0 0.0
2004 Q3 4,235 0 0 0.0
2004 Q2 3,674 3 0 816.5
2004 Q1 6,090 0 0 0.0
2003 Q4 5,133 0 0 0.0
2003 Q3 2,354 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.