Federal agency decisions, searchable in plain English.

Workplace-safety cases from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) and mine-safety cases from the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC), each with a plain-English summary, the standards it cites, and whether it counts as precedent. More agencies are coming.

5,593 decisions and counting · Latest decision July 17, 2026
5 decisions James R. Rucker, Jr.

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ALJ

Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation

Work-boot payment citation vacated

Cargill required meat-processing employees exposed to wet, slippery floors to wear ankle-covering work boots with water-resistant uppers and slip-resistant soles. OSHA cited Cargill for requiring employees to pay for those boots. The judge found that the boots were exempt “normal work boots”…

May 14, 2012 ·James R. Rucker, Jr.
Citations vacated
ALJ

Weatherguard Construction Co., Inc.

Subcontractor roof fall violation affirmed

About seven roofing-subcontractor employees installed tar paper on a two-story house without fall protection. Weatherguard was the general contractor and controlling employer, and its field supervisor had visited the site, seen the roof work, and acknowledged that the same subcontractor had also…

March 12, 2012 ·James R. Rucker, Jr.
Mixed result
ALJ

Southern Crushed Concrete

OSHA citations vacated because MSHA had jurisdiction

Southern Crushed Concrete operated an integrated sand-dredging and processing facility in Texas. OSHA cited conditions at a pug mill where dried sand was mixed with a small amount of cement to produce stabilized sand. The judge found that the pug mill was technologically and geographically…

June 8, 2011 ·James R. Rucker, Jr.
Citations vacated
ALJ

Gale Insulation

Residential fall-protection citation vacated for lack of employer knowledge

A Gale Insulation employee installed chimney flashing on a residential roof about 25 feet above the ground without fall protection. A harness and lanyards were in the crew's truck, and the employee had been trained in Spanish and English, had demonstrated how to use the equipment, and had…

June 19, 2009 ·James R. Rucker, Jr.
Citations vacated
ALJ

Menominee Tribal Enterprises

Thirteen stipulated citation items affirmed after coverage ruling

Menominee Tribal Enterprises and the Secretary stipulated to the violations, their classifications, and the proposed penalties, leaving only whether the Occupational Safety and Health Act applied to the cited activities. The judge had previously ruled that the Act applied. The Menominee Indian…

May 27, 2009 ·James R. Rucker, Jr.
Citations affirmed

What these documents are

  • Commission decisions: Rulings by the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission itself, the highest level of agency review. These are citable as Commission precedent, though a decision may have been appealed to a U.S. Court of Appeals after issuance.
  • ALJ decisions: Rulings by OSHRC Administrative Law Judges after a hearing. When no Commissioner directs review, an ALJ decision becomes a final order under 29 U.S.C. § 661(j): it binds the parties in that case but is not binding precedent in other cases.
  • Why finality matters: Every page here says which kind of decision you are reading, so you know whether it is precedent you can cite or a final order that only shows how one judge ruled on one set of facts.
  • Where they come from: Every page links the official OSHRC public release, and the full text on the page is that release. The plain-English summaries are written by Ezel.