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. Bradley T. Wiley, et al. and Vulcan Materials Company v. Secretary of Labor
Secretary of Labor v. Bradley T. Wiley, et al. (FMSHRC SE 2023-0013): MSHA jurisdiction attached before quarry production began
Vulcan was preparing a Georgia property for a future stone quarry when a Terra Excavating employee died in a compactor rollover before extraction or processing had begun. Vulcan, Terra, and contractor Bradley Wiley argued that MSHA lacked jurisdiction because the site was still in development. The…
Secretary of Labor v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises, Inc. (FMSHRC KENT 2022-0079): Ground-control citation upheld after falling-tree accident
A large tree fell from above a surface-mine highwall onto a pickup truck traveling below, killing one miner and seriously injuring another. The judge held that Nally & Hamilton violated its approved ground-control plan by leaving trees too close to the highwall edge without an adequate drop bench…
Secretary of Labor v. Prairie State Generating Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Prairie State Generating Company (FMSHRC LAKE 2022-0017): Damaged continuous-miner cable violation affirmed
An MSHA inspector found a hole through the outer jacket of a 995-volt cable on a continuous mining machine at Prairie State's Lively Grove Mine. The judge found that the damaged jacket exposed the cable's interior and violated the requirement to insulate and protect power wires and cables. He also…
Secretary of Labor obo Jordan Kelser v. Peabody Southeast Mining, LLC, et al
Secretary of Labor obo Jordan Kelser v. Peabody Southeast Mining and Jennmar Services (FMSHRC SE 2024-0025): Temporary reinstatement granted
Jordan Kelser worked at Peabody's Shoal Creek Mine through staffing company Jennmar Services. He testified that a conveyor started while he was working on it without lockout protection, causing ankle and lower-back injuries as he pulled himself off, and that a foreman then urged him not to report…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Mining Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Mining Company (FMSHRC WEVA 2023-0141): Continuance granted and settlement question certified
Consol Mining asked to continue a scheduled hearing because of witness and discovery issues and pending disputes over a proposed partial settlement. The judge granted the continuance and deferred the Secretary's request to separate the unsettled citations from those proposed for settlement. He…
Secretary of Labor v. Canyon Fuel Company, LLC, et al.
Secretary of Labor v. Canyon Fuel Company, LLC, et al. (FMSHRC WEST 2021-0188): Rib and accident-reporting orders affirmed
A rib burst at Canyon Fuel's Skyline Mine #3 knocked a miner into equipment, buried him in coal, fractured his skull, and caused other serious injuries. The Judge affirmed an S&S rib-control violation but reduced negligence to moderate, removed the unwarrantable-failure designation, and assessed…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Mining Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Mining Company, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2023-0141): Partial settlement denied and authorities stricken
The Secretary sought approval of a partial settlement that removed S&S designations and cited Mechanicsville Concrete and American Aggregates of Michigan as supporting authority. Judge Young concluded that those decisions did not support the proposition for which they were repeatedly cited and that…
Secretary of Labor obo Jason Hargis v. Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC and Secretary of Labor v. Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC
Secretary of Labor obo Jason Hargis v. Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2022-0013): Injury reporting affirmed and discrimination complaint dismissed
Jason Hargis injured his back while handling crusher liner plates at Vulcan's Wilson County Quarry and was placed on restricted duty. Judge Young held that the injury was reportable because Hargis could not perform all his duties and management knew of that limitation, and he assessed a $300…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2021-0084): Machine, electrical, and mapping citations affirmed
MSHA cited Consol's underground Bailey Mine for a missing keeper pin on a longwall shield, cracked light globes on a continuous miner, and failure to plot a drill hole that penetrated the coalbed. Judge Michael Young found that the missing pin created a projectile hazard and the cracked globes…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2021-0084): Three citations affirmed in original ruling
MSHA cited Consol's underground Bailey Mine for a missing keeper pin on a longwall shield, cracked light globes on a continuous miner, and failure to plot a drill hole that penetrated the coalbed. Judge Michael Young found that the missing pin created a projectile hazard and the cracked globes…
Secretary of Labor v. Northshore Mining Company
Secretary of Labor v. Northshore Mining Company (FMSHRC LAKE 2021-0153): Missed electrical grounding tests draw $530 penalty
Northshore Mining Company processes taconite into iron pellets at its Minnesota mine site. MSHA cited Northshore because it had not performed required annual continuity and resistance tests on the grounding systems for six conveyors, two surface water pumps, and two counterweight hoists. Judge…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2021-0074): Breaker label and flooded bleeder citations upheld
CONSOL Pennsylvania Coal Company operates the Enlow Fork underground coal mine in Pennsylvania. MSHA cited the mine because two adjacent high-voltage circuit breakers carried the same equipment label, creating a risk that a miner could deenergize the wrong continuous miner before working on…
Secretary of Labor v. Knight Hawk Coal, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Knight Hawk Coal, LLC (FMSHRC LAKE 2021-0160): S&S settlement question certified for review
Knight Hawk Coal and the Secretary proposed settling three citations by removing the significant and substantial designation from two and reducing total penalties from $7,960 to $4,590. Judge Michael G. Young accepted the explanation for one S&S removal but found insufficient factual support for…
Secretary of Labor v. Holcim (US) Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Holcim (US) Inc. (FMSHRC YORK 2021-0023): Citation-vacatur question certified for review
Holcim and the Secretary proposed settling thirteen citations by vacating four, modifying or leaving nine unchanged, and reducing total penalties from $28,148 to $17,843. The Secretary did not provide information supporting the vacaturs or state that they were independent of the rest of the…
Secretary of Labor v. Greenbrier Minerals, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Greenbrier Minerals, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2021-0294): Citation-vacatur question certified for review
Greenbrier Minerals and the Secretary proposed settling six citations by vacating two, leaving four unchanged, and reducing total penalties from $1,960 to $1,213. The Secretary relied only on asserted prosecutorial discretion as the explanation for the vacaturs. Judge Michael G. Young held that…
Secretary of Labor v. Crimson Oak Grove Resources LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Crimson Oak Grove Resources LLC (FMSHRC SE 2021-0134): Citation-vacatur question certified for review
Crimson Oak Grove Resources and the Secretary proposed settling five citations by vacating one, modifying or leaving four unchanged, and reducing total penalties from $29,497 to $11,672. The Secretary did not provide information supporting the vacatur or state that it was independent of the rest of…
Secretary of Labor v. Crimson Oak Grove Resources LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Crimson Oak Grove Resources LLC (FMSHRC SE 2021-0112): Citation-vacatur question certified for review
Crimson Oak Grove Resources and the Secretary proposed resolving three citations by vacating one, leaving two unchanged, and reducing total penalties from $1,154 to $1,029. Judge Michael G. Young treated the motion to dismiss as a settlement because the vacatur appeared tied to the operator's…
Secretary of Labor v. River City Stone-DIV/Mathy Construction Co.
Secretary of Labor v. River City Stone-DIV/Mathy Construction Co. (FMSHRC LAKE 2021-0145): Citation-vacatur question certified for review
River City Stone and the Secretary proposed resolving two citations by vacating one, leaving the other unchanged, and reducing total penalties from $250 to $125. Judge Michael G. Young treated the motion to dismiss as a settlement because the vacatur appeared tied to the operator's agreement to pay…
Secretary of Labor obo Jason Hargis v. Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC
Secretary of Labor obo Jason Hargis v. Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2021-0163): Economic reinstatement granted
The Secretary sought temporary reinstatement for Jason Hargis at Vulcan Construction Materials. Vulcan did not request a hearing, and the parties agreed to economic reinstatement terms. Judge Michael G. Young found that the discrimination complaint was not frivolously brought and ordered economic…
Secretary of Labor obo Tracy A. Lewis v. Tip Top Materials, LLC
Secretary of Labor obo Tracy A. Lewis v. Tip Top Materials, LLC (FMSHRC VA 2021-0008-D): Economic reinstatement agreement approved
The Secretary sought temporary reinstatement for Tracy Lewis while his discrimination complaint against Tip Top Materials remained pending. Tip Top did not timely request a hearing, and Judge Michael G. Young had already ordered Lewis temporarily reinstated. The parties then agreed that Tip Top…
Secretary of Labor obo Tracy A. Lewis v. Tip Top Materials, LLC
Secretary of Labor obo Tracy A. Lewis v. Tip Top Materials, LLC (FMSHRC VA 2021-0008-D): Foreman temporarily reinstated
Tracy Lewis, a foreman at Tip Top Materials, participated in an MSHA investigation concerning his son's alleged firing for making a safety complaint. The Secretary alleged that Lewis was then fired under circumstances suggesting a connection to that protected activity. Tip Top did not timely…
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.