Ram Surface Mine No. 1 has $214K in proposed MSHA penalties and $19K outstanding across 17 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.
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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
13
Years on record
2017–2025
Latest incident
Aug 2025
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2017
257
citations
72
significant & substantial
$213,876
proposed penalties
$151,855
paid to date
71% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $62,021 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.
257 citations across 2,154 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Imminent-danger orders
ⓘA Section 107(a) order removes miners from an area when an inspector finds an imminent danger. Each order is lifted once the condition is corrected, so this counts orders issued, not orders now in effect.
1
Section 107(a) orders
Most recent order: 2025-06-03.
On record since 2025.
Source: MSHA imminent-danger order records, updated weekly.
Ram Surface Mine No. 1 has $214K in proposed MSHA penalties and $19K outstanding across 17 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.
$214K
proposed penalties
$171K
current assessed
$152K
paid to date
$19K
outstanding
247 assessments are final orders; 17 contested dockets.
Of $137K in penalties contested before the Commission, $81K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-03-02.
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.
51citations taken to the federal commission · 20% of citations on record
Settled
46 · 90%
Vacated or withdrawn
1 · 2%
Still open
4 · 8%
67%
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 39 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
41%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$137K proposed, $81K 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 2026-06-02.
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 Ram Surface Mine No. 1 shows 100% of 158 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: 2026-06-18
100%
within 1.5 mg/m3
158
samples
0.49
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.
96 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 62 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.
Ram Surface Mine No. 1 recorded 3.34 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.
3.34
total case rate
3.34
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
About average. The US coal mining average was 3.19 and the all-US-mining average was 1.97 cases per 100 workers.
In West Virginia, coal mining averaged 3.89 cases per 100 workers that year.
Year
total case rate
days-away
fatal
2025
3.34
3.34
0.000
2024
3.45
3.45
0.000
2023
0.00
0.00
0.000
2022
3.70
3.70
0.000
2021 *
0.00
0.00
0.000
2020 *
2.97
2.97
0.000
2019 *
2.86
0.00
0.000
2018 *
6.04
3.02
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
42
75,737
2025
40
129,919
2024
39
134,722
2023
44
167,360
2022
37
179,562
2021
26
155,935
2020
27
152,683
2019
25
146,204
2018
26
114,629
2017
15
11,533
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.
Ram Surface Mine No. 1 sits in Logan County, West Virginia, where the Census mining category is 6.6% 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.
Logan County, West Virginia · Population 31,826
6.6%
Mining share of county employment
$47,237
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
EE was driving a rock truck out of the pit area when the load shifted while traveling uphill. The front wheels lifted off the ground and abruptly came back down once the load was dumped out of the bed, causing the employee pain in EE's back. The injury occurred on August 11, but the employee continued working until August 19, when EE visited the doctor and was written off work.
March 22, 2025WV · Coalfront-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operatorPOWERED HAULAGE
Employee was maneuvering a rock jostling the 992G loader, at this time the employee struck their head inside the operator's compartment causing lacerations to the left side of head and left ear. The injury caused the employee to lose consciousness and tram in reverse over and incline resting on the road below.
Employee was operating a mobile surface drill parallel to the edge of the drill bench. The mobile drill's right track trammed onto some spoil along the edge of the bench causing the drill to drop off the bench and turn onto its side.
Employee was operating a haul truck and the right front suspension cylinder failed causing employee to strike left arm and shoulder on the inside of the cab.
Employee walking around a bank on the surface mine, Employee stepped into a ditch & fell. Employee reported to supervisor that employee had pain in hip. The employee went to a hospital & was treated & given a full release. The employee returned to work next scheduled shift. Then on 9-14-2020 employee went for a follow up & was written off of work until an MRI is conducted.
Employee cut a tree approximately 5" in diameter. When tree fell it sprang back on top of employees foot. Employee kept working. Employee received medical treatment on 5-25-20 and a fracture was found.
2019 · 2 incidents
September 4, 2019WV · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
Employee was installing a pin in a track. The employee struck the pin with a hammer and a piece of metal broke loose and penetrated EE's right leg. The employee traveled to Logan Regional Medical center and was released to return to work. After a few days, the employee continued to have discomfort and returned to the hospital on 9/13/19 and had the metal removed.
While stemming holes employee became light headed and shaky. An EMT was called to check EE and was told EE should go to the hospital, due to heat exhaustion symptoms, and was taken by ambulance to Logan Regional Hospital where EE was seen and then released
2018 · 2 incidents
April 20, 2018WV · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techHANDTOOLS (NONPOWERED)
The employee claims that EE felt a sharp pain in EE's wrist while removing a bolt with a ratchet. EE recently returned to work from a non-work related injury on 4/9/18. An independent medical evaluation (IME) on 5/1/2018 determined that at the time of the incident of 4/20/2018, there was no new injury to the right wrist. Ramaco Resources, LLC is disputing this accident.
February 16, 2018WV · Coalcrane operator, mobile equipment operator (meo), dragline operator, dropball operator, riggerSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Employee was exiting the loader when EE slipped on bottom step and fell to the ground landing on shoulder / arm. EE went to LRMH for x-rays and returned to work the following shift. On March 20, 2018 EE informed supervisor that EE's physical therapist took EE off work until April 17, 2018.
2017 · 1 incident
October 16, 2017WV · Coalmaintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service techSLIP OR FALL OF PERSON