Ramsey Hill Exploration · (Not Elsewhere Classified)
Good normal operating conditions. Operations were slowed from option to work was offered. Employee was found unresponsive in an outhouse.
Buffalo Sands: 85 MSHA citations Metal/Non-Metal
Ramsey Hill Exploration
· Surface
Controlled by
Chris M Kusilek; Dianna J Kusilek
MSHA Mine ID: 3201082
Buffalo Sands has $83K in proposed MSHA penalties and $13K outstanding across 9 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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- Fatalities
- 0
- Total incidents
- 2
- Years on record
- 2024–2025
- Latest incident
- Sep 2025
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2022
85
citations
25
significant & substantial
$82,953
proposed penalties
$59,531
paid to date
72% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $23,423 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2022
15
inspections on record
405
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: 405 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Buffalo Sands has $83K in proposed MSHA penalties and $13K outstanding across 9 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.$83K
proposed penalties
$72K
current assessed
$60K
paid to date
$13K
outstanding
52 assessments are final orders; 9 contested dockets.
Of $43K in penalties contested before the Commission, $32K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-07-08.
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.29.4%
significant & substantial
11.8%
high negligence or reckless
29.4%
reasonably likely or greater
70.6%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 1.2% none, 4.7% low, 82.4% moderate, 11.8% high, 0.0% 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.
40
citations taken to the federal commission · 47% of citations on record
- Settled 7 · 18%
- Vacated or withdrawn 1 · 3%
- Still open 32 · 80%
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 5 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
25%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$43K proposed, $32K 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 2026-04-29.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CENT 2025-0003 | Settlement | Paez | 2025 | $22K → $15K |
| CENT 2026-0029 | Settlement | Paez | 2026 | $8K → $8K |
| CENT 2025-0104 | Settlement | Paez | 2026 | $6K → $6K |
| CENT 2026-0028 | Settlement | Paez | 2026 | $4K → $500 |
| CENT 2025-0111 | Settlement | Paez | 2026 | $3K → $2K |
| CENT 2025-0194 | Settlement | Paez | 2025 | $697 → $697 |
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.
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.Metal and nonmetal contaminants (personal samples)
ⓘ
Many samples are screening measurements of substances with no applicable exposure limit; they are counted as samples but excluded from every over-limit figure. Over-limit shares use only limit-tested samples.
Last sampled: 2026-07-13
ⓘ
Many samples are screening measurements of substances with no applicable exposure limit; they are counted as samples but excluded from every over-limit figure. Over-limit shares use only limit-tested samples.10
samples
0
limit-tested
Most sampled contaminants
- Respirable dust, <.1mg10
Show the individual readings (10)
| Date | Contaminant | Concentration | Limit | Conc / limit | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-13 | Respirable dust, <.1mg | 0 | Front-end Loader Operator | ||
| 2026-07-13 | Respirable dust, <.1mg | 0 | Washer Operator | ||
| 2026-07-13 | Respirable dust, <.1mg | 0 | Supervisor, Co. Official | ||
| 2026-07-13 | Respirable dust, <.1mg | 0 | Washer Operator | ||
| 2026-07-13 | Respirable dust, <.1mg | 0 | Washer Operator | ||
| 2022-09-14 | Respirable dust, <.1mg | 0 | Front-end Loader Operator | ||
| 2022-09-14 | Respirable dust, <.1mg | 0 | Kiln/Dryer Operator | ||
| 2022-09-14 | Respirable dust, <.1mg | 0 | Bulldozer Operator | ||
| 2022-04-07 | Respirable dust, <.1mg | 0 | Kiln/Dryer Operator | ||
| 2022-04-07 | Respirable dust, <.1mg | 0 | Bulldozer Operator |
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly. Metal/nonmetal contaminant figures come from MSHA's Personal Health Samples and Area Samples files (public record), updated weekly.
Buffalo Sands recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2025.
Injury rate, 2025
ⓘ
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
Below average. The US metal and nonmetal mining average was 1.65 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
In North Dakota, metal and nonmetal mining averaged 0.62 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 * | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.000 |
| 2024 * | 5.86 | 5.86 | 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
- Buffalo Sands LLP 2021 to 2024
- Ramsey Hill Exploration 2024 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
| Year | Employees |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 23 |
| 2025 | 17 |
| 2024 | 13 |
| 2023 | 7 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2021 | 5 |
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Buffalo Sands sits in Mercer County, North Dakota, where the Census mining category is 10.0% 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.Mercer County, North Dakota · Population 8,341
10.0%
Mining share of county employment
$79,405
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 | 15,189 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2026 Q1 | 13,628 | 16 | 5 | 1174.1 |
| 2025 Q4 | 12,271 | 2 | 1 | 163.0 |
| 2025 Q3 | 9,785 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2025 Q2 | 13,029 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2025 Q1 | 8,152 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2024 Q4 | 13,095 | 31 | 12 | 2367.3 |
| 2024 Q3 | 13,042 | 2 | 2 | 153.4 |
Show 11 earlier quarters Hide earlier quarters
| Quarter | Hours worked | Citations | S&S | Per 1M hrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Q2 | 6,865 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2024 Q1 | 1,125 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2023 Q4 | 3,250 | 10 | 1 | 3076.9 |
| 2023 Q3 | 5,200 | 5 | 1 | 961.5 |
| 2023 Q2 | 7,800 | 1 | 1 | 128.2 |
| 2023 Q1 | 2,080 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2022 Q4 | 3,250 | 6 | 1 | 1846.2 |
| 2022 Q3 | 2,640 | 7 | 1 | 2651.5 |
| 2022 Q2 | 2,080 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2022 Q1 | 224 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 2021 Q4 | 800 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
2 on file2025 · 1 incident
2024 · 1 incident
Ramsey Hill Exploration · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
The mine EE was making visual checks of the plant feed hopper and identified the belt was slipping, EE went to apply belt dressing. Sand had built up on the head pulley & EE attempted to scrape the sand off the pulley, EE's arm got caught in the belt & pulley. The miner was able to pull arm out. The results were skin abrasions, torn away flesh, & a fracture to the right wrist.