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.
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Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Southeast Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Southeast Mining, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2023-0174): Longwall roof-control citation affirmed
MSHA cited Peabody after an unplanned roof fall and deteriorating supports affected the tailgate of the Shoal Creek Mine's J-2 longwall. The inspector observed crushed pumpable supports, fractured roof, and a roof fall blocking the tailgate, while examinations, air readings, and installation of…
American Tripoli v. Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Labor v. American Tripoli
American Tripoli v. Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Labor v. American Tripoli (FMSHRC CENT 2025-0086): Backpay-enforcement citation and order affirmed
An earlier discrimination decision ordered American Tripoli to pay former miner Robert Baumann back pay and interest. The company did not pay while Commission review was pending, even after the Commission denied its request to stay enforcement. MSHA issued a citation for failing to comply with the…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Jamie M. Koslop v. Atlantic Carbon Group, Inc.
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Jamie M. Koslop v. Atlantic Carbon Group, Inc. (FMSHRC PENN 2025-0067): Miner temporarily reinstated after safety complaints
Jamie Koslop, a laborer at Atlantic Carbon's mines, alleged that he was fired after speaking with investigators following a fatal mine accident, reporting machinery and equipment hazards, seeking to become a miners' representative, and refusing a manlift assignment for which he said he lacked task…
Secretary of Labor v. Saiia Construction Co., LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Saiia Construction Co., LLC (FMSHRC SE 2023-0002): Headlights alone did not safely illuminate quarry work
Saiia began quarry work before sunrise using only the lights mounted on its haul trucks and excavator. The judge credited testimony that those lights did not adequately reveal the dump edge, berm condition, haul-road turns, or people approaching equipment. He held that the conditions violated the…
Peabody Gateway North Mining, LLC v. Secretary of Labor
Peabody Gateway North Mining v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC LAKE 2023-0075): MSHA contact-information request upheld
During an investigation of a mine fan outage, MSHA asked Peabody Gateway North for personal contact information for miners who worked the relevant shift. Peabody withheld information for eight miners it considered company agents, arguing that MSHA could contact them only through counsel. The judge…
Secretary of Labor obo John Collins v. Crimson Oak Grove Resources, LLC
Secretary of Labor obo John Collins v. Crimson Oak Grove Resources (FMSHRC SE 2023-0235): Temporary reinstatement ordered
John Collins repeatedly told his supervisor that he was uncomfortable using a Komatsu 250 loader to lift a heavy pan line onto a truck. He followed the instruction, and the loader tipped forward while lifting the second piece, causing the rear to rise and then slam down and resulting in back pain…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company (FMSHRC PENN 2022-0070): Damaged cutting-bit citation affirmed
A face ignition occurred while a continuous miner operated at Consol's Enlow Fork Mine, which was liberating more than 11 million cubic feet of methane per day. Investigators found two damaged cutting bits about two feet apart on the side of the cutting head where witnesses saw the ignition. The…
Secretary of Labor obo George Porter v. Pacer Minerals, LLC
Secretary of Labor obo George Porter v. Pacer Minerals, LLC (FMSHRC CENT 2023-0058): Temporary reinstatement ordered
George Porter alleged that Pacer Minerals laid him off eight days after he reported working near six undetonated explosive charges at the Pink Monster Mine. The Secretary’s investigator stated that mine management knew the explosives were present but did not explain the danger when directing Porter…
Secretary of Labor obo Frank Cafego v. Civil, LLC
Secretary of Labor obo Frank Cafego v. Civil, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2022-0317): Equipment complaints supported temporary reinstatement
Frank Cafego alleged that Civil, LLC fired him after he repeatedly complained about equipment conditions while working as an equipment operator and truck driver. His complaints included an antifreeze leak and missing air conditioning that forced him to drive with open windows amid heavy dust. The…
Secretary of Labor v. GMS Mine Repair
Secretary of Labor v. GMS Mine Repair (FMSHRC WEVA 2021-0431): Final-order dates controlled violation-history calculation
GMS Mine Repair accepted five citations and their gravity and negligence findings but disputed how MSHA calculated the contractor's violation history for penalty purposes. MSHA counted citations and orders that became final during the preceding 15 months, even if they had been issued earlier, while…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2020-0080): Damaged power cable violation affirmed as S&S
MSHA cited Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company after an inspector found a damaged 480-volt power cable supplying a rib bolter at the Enlow Fork Mine. Judge John Kent Lewis found that damage to the outer jacket and inner insulation exposed bare conductor wires in a main travelway and violated the…
Secretary of Labor obo Barbara E. Cassidy v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor obo Barbara E. Cassidy v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company (FMSHRC PENN 2020-0101): Safety-report retaliation proven
Barbara Cassidy, a section supervisor at Consol's Enlow Fork Mine, raised concerns about shortages of personnel rides, emergency transportation, and roof-bolting practices. Management counseled her after two safety emails and later imposed an unpaid suspension following a loud disagreement with her…
Secretary of Labor obo Ryan S. Lemley v. Monongalia County Coal Resources, Inc.
Secretary of Labor obo Ryan S. Lemley v. Monongalia County Coal Resources, Inc. (FMSHRC PENN 2021-0087): Temporary reinstatement granted
Ryan Lemley, a belt cleaner at Monongalia County Mine, alleged that the operator discharged him after years of reporting safety issues, accompanying inspectors, and filing complaints with MSHA. The Secretary's investigator cited those activities, management's alleged hostility, different treatment…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2019-0094): Lifeline obstruction citation affirmed
At Consol's Harvey Mine, nine hydraulic hoses extended beneath a lifeline in an alternate escapeway. Judge John Kent Lewis found that the placement could force miners to identify and maneuver around a trip hazard during a smoke-filled emergency, so the lifeline was not located for effective escape…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Co., LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Co., LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2019-0100): Two hoist safeguards vacated
MSHA issued two mine-specific safeguards concerning wear on a slope-hoist rope and supplies or debris beside the slope track at Consol's Bailey Mine. Judge John Kent Lewis found the first safeguard invalid because existing wire-rope standards already addressed the alleged hazard, and he also found…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Co., LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Co., LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2019-0019): Unlocated gas-well citation vacated
Consol's Enlow Fork longwall intersected an old gas-well borehole that the company and its contractor had been unable to locate from the surface. Their search included maps and databases, aerial photographs, a closely spaced metal-detector grid, and hand excavation, and the cut-through produced no…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2018-0244): Gas-well barrier citations vacated
MSHA cited Consol Pennsylvania Coal for allegedly failing to obtain gas-well pillar protection approvals for the NV-34 and NV-60 wells near mined-out areas of Enlow Fork Mine. Judge John Kent Lewis held that the oil-and-gas-well rule applies even when wells are drilled behind completed mining, but…
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.