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 obo Benjamin Leadmon and Franklin Jeremiah Gibson v. Blue Creek Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor obo Benjamin Leadmon and Franklin Jeremiah Gibson v. Blue Creek Mining, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2017-498 D): Two safety complainants temporarily reinstated
Franklin Jeremiah Gibson objected to continuous-miner work involving airflow and unsupported roof, and Benjamin Leadmon delivered Gibson's written safety concerns and joined meetings with management about those conditions and personal-dust-monitoring instructions. Blue Creek suspended both miners…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Co., LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Co., LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2016-132): Uncertain sample location defeated rock-dust citation
MSHA cited Consol Pennsylvania Coal after a sample from the Harvey Mine contained less incombustible material than the rock-dust standard required. The standard did not require rock dusting within 40 feet of the working face, so the sample's location determined whether a violation existed. The…
Secretary of Labor v. Kentucky Fuel Corporation
Secretary of Labor v. Kentucky Fuel Corporation (FMSHRC KENT 2015-383): Truck blocking and 103(k) violations draw $55,500
At Kentucky Fuel's Beech Creek Surface Mine, a mechanic worked beneath an unblocked grease truck and struck its starter with a hammer while another miner sat in the cab. The truck started and rolled backward about two feet, causing several broken ribs and a punctured lung; the mechanic later…
Secretary of Labor v. Nicholas Contura, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Nicholas Contura, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2016-615 D): Part 90 miner temporarily reinstated after mine sale
James Steven Spencer worked at the Jerry Fork Eagle Mine in West Virginia and had exercised his Part 90 option in May 2016, which lets a coal miner with evidence of pneumoconiosis transfer to a lower-dust job at the same pay. He was moved to a supply motor operator job, then took leave for hernia…
Pennyrile Energy, LLC v. Secretary of Labor
Pennyrile Energy, LLC v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC KENT 2016-432-R): Disagreeing with MSHA's reading of a training rule does not earn an expedited hearing
MSHA issued Order No. 9048420 to Pennyrile Energy at the Riveredge Mine in June 2016, alleging that an underground miner working on the surface area of the mine lacked the training required by 30 C.F.R. § 48.25. Pennyrile contested the order and asked for an expedited hearing, arguing the order was…
Secretary of Labor v. Kentucky Fuel Corporation
Secretary of Labor v. Kentucky Fuel Corporation (FMSHRC KENT 2014-706): Loose boulders above working loaders and a skipped pre-split, both citations upheld
An MSHA inspector at Kentucky Fuel's Bevins Branch Surface Mine in Kentucky found large loose boulders sitting on top of a 70-foot highwall while two end loaders worked below, and cited the company for failing to strip loose hazardous material under 30 C.F.R. § 77.1001. At a second pit he found a…
Secretary of Labor v. Elk Run Coal Company
Secretary of Labor v. Elk Run Coal Company (FMSHRC WEVA 2013-1180, et al.): Four roof-control violations affirmed with $172,944 penalty
MSHA cited four roof-control and examination violations in the primary escapeway at Elk Run Coal Company's Roundbottom Powellton Deep Mine. The conditions included an overwide entry with excessive roof-bolt spacing, loose draw rock above the lifeline, improperly installed wire mesh loaded with…
Secretary of Labor v. Armstrong Coal Co., Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Armstrong Coal Co., Inc. (FMSHRC KENT 2013-185): Duplicate formatted release of 24-citation dismissal
This official release contains the same amended dismissal text as the separately posted kent-2013-185-alj release, with layout differences only. The Secretary failed to comply with an order requiring the parties to confer and submit joint stipulations, then did not explain the failure after an…
Secretary of Labor v. Armstrong Coal Co., Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Armstrong Coal Co., Inc. (FMSHRC KENT 2013-185): Twenty-four citations dismissed for ignored court order
Armstrong Coal sought relief after the Secretary failed to comply with an order requiring the parties to confer and submit joint factual stipulations within 45 days. Months passed without the required conference, and the Secretary acknowledged delay but did not explain the failure after an order to…
Emerald Coal Resources, LP v. Secretary of Labor
Emerald Coal Resources, LP v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC PENN 2009-383-R, et al.): Second amended decision assesses $8,143
Emerald Coal Resources failed to keep deteriorated structural columns in its preparation plant in good repair and failed to provide a multi-gas detector to a separate group of four contractors working underground. Judge William S. Steele affirmed both citations. He found the structural violation…
Secretary of Labor v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises, Inc. (FMSHRC KENT 2012-1031, et al.): Two haul-road control citations vacated
MSHA cited Nally & Hamilton twice under a mobile-equipment control standard after an inspector drove his own vehicle on muddy haul roads and experienced sliding. Judge William S. Steele found that the standard prohibits operating equipment without full control, but the inspector did not observe the…
Elk Run Coal Company v. Secretary of Labor
Elk Run Coal Company v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC WEVA 2013-1298-R): Safeguard challenge allowed before later citation
Elk Run Coal challenged a safeguard requiring controls for mud, ledges, and water in mine travelways before MSHA issued a later citation or order under that safeguard. The Secretary argued that the Commission lacked jurisdiction until a violation was cited. Judge William S. Steele held that the…
Secretary of Labor, MSHA v. Brody Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Brody Mining, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2013-674): Roof-bolter oil citations settled for $44,000
MSHA cited two oil leaks on a Fletcher roof bolter and proposed total penalties of $71,400. Brody Mining would have presented evidence that its foreman reasonably believed the leaks did not require the machine's immediate removal from service and that the oil was unlikely to ignite or cause serious…
Secretary of Labor, MSHA on behalf of Clinton Ray Ward v. Argus Energy WV, LLC
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Clinton Ray Ward v. Argus Energy WV, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2012-1448-D): Temporary reinstatement tolled after mine closure
Clinton Ray Ward had remained temporarily reinstated while his discrimination case proceeded against Argus Energy. Argus closed Deep Mine No. 8 amid a regional coal-market collapse, laid off 56 of 62 employees, and retained only workers selected for the skills and certifications needed to close the…
Secretary of Labor, MSHA v. REBCO Coal, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. REBCO Coal, Inc. (FMSHRC SE 2012-341, SE 2012-386): Five mine-safety violations affirmed
MSHA cited REBCO Coal during rehabilitation of its Valley Mine No. 1 for a battery charger left in the primary escapeway, two loose-rib conditions, roof support that did not follow the approved plan, and extensive combustible accumulations around a feeder. Judge William S. Steele affirmed all five…
Secretary of Labor, MSHA on behalf of Clinton Ray Ward v. Argus Energy WV, LLC
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Clinton Ray Ward v. Argus Energy WV, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2013-597-D): Discrimination complaint denied
The Secretary alleged that Argus Energy fired chief electrician Clinton Ray Ward because he raised staffing and water-related safety concerns at Deep Mine No. 8. Judge William S. Steele found that the evidence did not credibly establish Ward's claimed safety reports or show that management knew of…
Dominion Coal Corporation v. Secretary of Labor, MSHA
Dominion Coal Corporation v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC VA 2012-163, et al.): Gas-well and preshift orders affirmed
A continuous miner at Dominion Coal's No. 36 Mine intersected a gas well that was not properly located, mapped, or protected by a barrier. MSHA issued three orders under separate standards governing gas-well protection and mine maps, plus a fourth order for an inadequate preshift examination…
Brody Mining, LLC v. Secretary of Labor, MSHA
Brody Mining, LLC v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC WEVA 2014-83-R, et al.): Temporary relief from pattern orders denied
Brody Mining sought temporary relief from a pattern-of-violations notice and four resulting withdrawal orders. Judge William S. Steele found that Brody raised substantial legal questions about the pattern rule, use of nonfinal violations, screening criteria, and changed mine management. The company…
Secretary of Labor v. Duffy, Inc. and Dennis S. Bell
Secretary of Labor v. Duffy, Inc. and Dennis S. Bell (FMSHRC PENN 2011-243-M et al.): Consent to a stay defeated the delay-based dismissal request
Duffy, Inc. and foreman Dennis Bell sought dismissal of company and individual penalty proceedings based on alleged enforcement delays. Judge William S. Steele held that the Secretary timely filed the company penalty petition and that later delays were reasonable or occurred during a stay Duffy had…
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.