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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New Haven Foundry
Abatement petition reinstated and remanded
New Haven Foundry filed a petition to modify an abatement requirement after a citation became a final order. The judge dismissed the petition on the ground that the Commission lacked jurisdiction over employer abatement-modification petitions. The Commission reversed under its rules and precedent…
Continental Steel Corporation
Abatement petition reinstated and remanded
Continental Steel filed a petition to modify an abatement requirement after a citation had become a final order. The underlying cited item concerned exposed live electrical parts on two cranes under 29 C.F.R. § 1910.179(g)(2)(i). The judge dismissed the petition on the ground that the Commission…
Transcon Lines, Inc.
Maintenance-pit and excessive-noise violations affirmed
Transcon Lines operated truck-maintenance facilities with six vehicle pits that were periodically left uncovered and had no guardrails. Employees in a fuel-tank repair area were also exposed for an hour a day to noise measured at 124 and 128 decibels. The company supplied hearing protection but…
Angel Construction Co., Inc.
Stairway penalty restored in mixed construction case
Angel Construction was the prime contractor for a multi-building office complex. The judge affirmed eight non-serious violations involving housekeeping, ladders, fuel handling, stairways, elevator openings, a material hoist, and head protection, while dismissing two scaffold and…
Sigman Meat Co.
Stair and sanitation items restored under OSHA jurisdiction
Sigman Meat operated a pork slaughterhouse and contested multiple non-serious safety and health items. The judge affirmed four of nine disputed items, vacated five, and assessed $117. The Commission held that Department of Agriculture meat-inspection rules did not displace OSHA jurisdiction over…
Newspaper Agency Corp.
Withdrawal affirmed after workplace posting
Newspaper Agency contested an amended citation and proposed penalty, then moved to withdraw its contest. The employer had previously notified two unions about the case and posted the withdrawal request at the workplace. Neither union had elected party status. The Commission held that workplace…
Biltrite Fixture Co., Inc.
Failure-to-abate penalty set at $750
Biltrite manufactured store fixtures and failed to abate six non-serious electrical, welding, fire-extinguisher, and housekeeping violations by the stated deadline. OSHA proposed $2,465 in additional daily penalties, and the company corrected the remaining conditions the day after reinspection. The…
Hoffman Electric Co.
Floor-opening and perimeter citations affirmed
Hoffman Electric performed electrical construction in buildings with unguarded floor openings and open-sided floors. Its employees used elevator-shaft ladderways and worked where materials were moved along the outside of the building. The judge held that the subcontractor remained responsible for…
Plastering, Inc.
Serious roof-opening violation and $650 affirmed
Plastering employees installed draft stops beneath a convention-center roof about sixty feet above the floor. Four employees worked on the roof and stepped over an unguarded opening created by removal of a large steel deck plate, and the company knew the openings existed. Another worker who was not…
McDevitt & Street Co.
Material-hoist violation reclassified as serious
McDevitt & Street was the general contractor on a construction project using an unenclosed material-hoist platform about twelve to fourteen feet above ground. A subcontractor employee had died after falling from the platform the day before OSHA inspected, and an employee of McDevitt & Street was…
Losli, Inc.
$100 power-shear guarding penalty affirmed
Losli operated a sheet-metal fabrication plant with a twelve-foot Wysong shear. The point-of-operation guard had an opening that did not prevent employees' fingers from entering the cutting area. The employer contested only the proposed $550 penalty and repeatedly admitted the violation. The judge…
Getter Trucking, Inc.
General duty citation vacated for lack of feasible measures
Getter Trucking helped recover a derailed locomotive using winch trucks and wire-rope cables. A cable caught under a crawler tractor became taut and snapped free, striking an employee who later died. OSHA alleged that the company failed to keep employees away from the cable under tension. The judge…
Straight Creek Constructors
Unsafe tunnel access upheld, two other items dismissed
Straight Creek Constructors was working at the Straight Creek Tunnel when OSHA cited three nonserious violations involving access routes, a cracked hydrocrane window, and welding-arc shielding. The Commission found that a narrow tunnel ramp was unsafe because the company's procedures did not…
Eastern Knitting Mills, Inc.
Employer's abatement letter treated as a contest
OSHA cited Eastern Knitting Mills for 12 nonserious violations and proposed $400 in penalties. Within the statutory contest period, the company wrote that it had corrected or was correcting all items except item 10 and asked for help because it did not know how to meet that item's abatement…
Lee Way Motor Freight, Inc.
Open service-pit citation restored
Lee Way Motor Freight operated four long vehicle-service pits without covers or guardrails. Mechanics worked around and stepped over the pits, and the surrounding floor could become wet with oil, ice, snow, or rainwater. The judge vacated that item because the accident risk appeared low, but the…
H-E Lowdermilk Company
Backup observer and cylinder violations upheld
H-E Lowdermilk Company was building a Colorado highway when OSHA cited six construction-safety violations. The Commission found that trucks with obstructed rear views lacked alarms and were backed while bulldozer operators assigned as observers were not always free to watch and signal, so it…
James E. Roberts Company and Soule Steel Company
Subcontractor liable for crane power-line hazard
James E. Roberts Company was the general contractor for a hospital addition, and Soule Steel Company was the reinforcing-steel subcontractor. A crane working near uninsulated 12,000-volt lines contacted the lines while a Soule employee guided suspended reinforcing steel, and the employee was…
J.E. Roupp & Company, Inc. and Denver Dry Wall Company
Drywall fall violations upheld
J.E. Roupp was the general contractor for an apartment-building project, and Denver Dry Wall was a subcontractor. A Denver Dry Wall employee was killed after stored railings fell and pushed him from an unguarded fourth-floor balcony, and another employee used a stairway without handrails or…
York Metal Finishing Company
Two failure-to-abate items upheld
York Metal Finishing, an electroplating company, did not contest an original four-item citation and paid $59 in penalties. After reinspection, OSHA alleged that all four conditions remained and proposed $1,058 in additional failure-to-abate penalties. The Commission held that OSHA establishes a…
Advance Air Conditioning, Inc.
Roof-opening violation affirmed under specific standard
Advance Air Conditioning was installing ductwork at the Las Vegas Convention Center while employees worked on a roof with unguarded openings 48 to 51 feet above ground. One employee fell through a 2-by-30-foot opening located within inches of his work area after the opening had remained unguarded…
Metals Selling Corporation, Inc.
Combustible-liquid cabinet item vacated
Metals Selling Corporation manufactured metallic chemicals and structures, with much of its business involving magnesium grinding. OSHA issued 20 nonserious items covering housekeeping, aisles, stairs, exits, gas cylinders, personal protective equipment, fire protection, machine guarding…
John J. Gordon Company
Judge's order affirmed after appellate remand
The Second Circuit remanded this matter to the Commission. In accordance with the court's order, the Commission affirmed Judge David H. Harris's May 5, 1972 order. This short release does not state the underlying citation, the applicable safety standard, the judge's reasoning, or any penalty result.
Morrison-Knudsen & Associates
Noise-exposure violations affirmed
Morrison-Knudsen was constructing antiballistic-missile facilities in North Dakota. Noise measurements described in the attached judge's decision ranged from 100 to 112 dBA, and employees performing grinding, impact-wrench, and air-arcing work were observed without hearing protection. Although the…
Home Supply Company; Al J. Schneider Company, Inc.; and Al J. Schneider and Associates, Inc.
Four high-rise fall hazards upheld
Home Supply Company and two Al J. Schneider companies operated as a joint enterprise while constructing the 24-story Louisville Trust Building. The Commission affirmed four serious general duty clause violations involving unguarded floor perimeters, elevator-shaft openings, stairway openings, and…
Fineberg Packing Company, Inc.
OSHA sanitation item reinstated despite USDA rules
Fineberg Packing, a meat processor, received a nine-item nonserious citation covering electrical, exit, fire-protection, housekeeping, sanitation, and ladder conditions. The judge vacated the sanitation item because Department of Agriculture rules under the Wholesome Meat Act also regulated plant…
The Murphy Company
Three failure-to-abate items upheld, two vacated
The Murphy Company operated an Oregon wood-veneer plant and did not contest an original citation containing 18 nonserious violations. A later reinspection led OSHA to allege failure to abate five items and failure to post the original citation. The Commission affirmed failure to abate the…
Yorba Linda Electric, Inc.
Electrical-proximity citation vacated for lack of proof
Yorba Linda Electric was extending a 480-volt electrical system at a Mobil Oil field when an employee working on a pole was found hanging limp from his safety belt and died. OSHA cited the company for allowing work close enough to an energized circuit for contact without effective protection. The…
Painting Unlimited, Inc.
Unsafe access upheld, ladder side-rail item vacated
Painting Unlimited was spray-painting bridge girders from a scaffold more than 40 feet above the ground. Employees had to hoist themselves about four feet from the scaffold to the girder because no suitable ladder, stairway, ramp, or runway provided safe access. The Commission affirmed that access…
Owens-Illinois, Inc., Lily Tulip Division
Noise-abatement settlement approved conditionally
Owens-Illinois contested only the abatement period for a noise-control item under 29 C.F.R. § 1910.95(b)(1). The company and the Secretary stipulated to extend the abatement date from May 22, 1974, to May 22, 1976, and the company moved to withdraw its contest. The Commission treated the…
The Budd Co.
Foot-protection and fuel-cylinder citations affirmed
The Budd Company operated two manufacturing plants where some employees lacked required toe protection and workers used acetylene cylinders with their valve ends raised only 30 to 45 degrees above horizontal. The Commission allowed Budd to withdraw its contests to the foot-protection items and held…
DIC-Underhill, A Joint Venture
Open-floor citation affirmed and storage item vacated
DIC-Underhill was constructing high-rise housing where employees worked on open-sided upper floors without perimeter railings or personal fall protection. The judge found a serious violation because five employees were exposed on three floors and a fall could have grave consequences. He assessed…
Southern Indiana Gas & Electric Co.
Noise citation affirmed without a penalty
Southern Indiana Gas & Electric operated a generating station where boiler-room sound readings reached 97 to 103 dBA. The utility had supplied ear protection and was pursuing an engineering solution, but the judge found that it did not consistently require employees to use the protection. The…
CAM Industries, Inc.
Confined-space welding ventilation item reinstated
CAM Industries fabricated steel products and received a multi-item citation covering electrical, welding, housekeeping, eye protection, crane, platform, and recordkeeping conditions. During OSHA's inspection, an employee was welding inside a roughly 100-cubic-foot tank while an available exhaust…
Modern Automotive Service, Inc.
Foot-protection item affirmed and first-aid item vacated
Modern Automotive serviced and repaired trucks, and its employees manually handled tools, parts, and materials weighing as much as 60 pounds. The company had experienced toe injuries over five years, and its safety director acknowledged that foot protection would have prevented some of them. The…
Beall Construction Co.
Construction penalties reduced to $620
Beall Construction was the general contractor on a 12-story building project and faced serious, other-than-serious, and failure-to-abate allegations with proposed penalties totaling $35,442. The Commission adopted the judge's mixed disposition of the citations, including a serious violation for a…
Daniel Rubin Painting Corp.
Notice of contest dismissed after unanswered complaint
Daniel Rubin Painting did not file an answer after receiving the Secretary's complaint and a warning that its notice of contest could be dismissed. The judge dismissed the contest under the Commission's procedural rules. Although the Secretary's dismissal motion lacked the required formal proof of…
Eckerd's Tri-Roads, Inc.
Four-item citation vacated with prejudice
Eckerd's Tri-Roads, a retail drug store, received a four-item citation covering the OSHA poster, annual injury and illness summary, fire-extinguisher mounting, and housekeeping. The judge affirmed all four items, assessed $50 for the poster item, and vacated a proposed $100 penalty for the…
Florida East Coast Properties, Inc.
Settlement cuts one penalty but retains serious classification
Florida East Coast Properties received two serious construction citations and several other-than-serious items, but contested only the proposed penalties. In a settlement, the Secretary agreed that the evidence could not sustain the serious classification for an open-sided-floor item and proposed…
Sunpruf Aluminum Products, Inc.
Eight safety items affirmed without penalties
Sunpruf manufactured aluminum storm windows and doors at a Nashville plant with about 30 employees. OSHA cited conditions involving electrical boxes, compressed air, respiratory and welding protection, personal protective equipment, first aid, housekeeping, and aisle marking. The Secretary withdrew…
Lundell Manufacturing Co., Inc.
Gasoline vent classified as serious with a $25 penalty
Lundell Manufacturing had an underground gasoline tank whose vent ended 6 feet 7 inches above the ground instead of the required 12 feet. The vent was outside, about 75 feet from the building, protected by a guard and fence, and away from regular employee work, and the company had it extended…
Dore Wrecking Co.
Eye-protection item vacated and two penalties reduced
Dore Wrecking was demolishing a building with its own employees and specialized subcontractors. The Commission vacated an eye-protection item because the unprotected drill operator worked for a subcontractor, Dore did not control him, and no Dore employee was shown to be exposed to the condition…
Chicago Bridge & Iron Co.
Fire-equipment citation vacated for issuance delay
A Chicago Bridge & Iron employee was welding on top of a chemical tank at least 80 feet above ground when his clothing caught fire and he was fatally injured. OSHA inspected six days later and cited the company for failing to have suitable fire-extinguishing equipment immediately available…
Crone Lumber Co.
Citation affirmed after employer accepted late-answer ruling
Crone Lumber filed its answer to the Secretary's complaint late. The judge found no mitigating circumstances, struck the answer, and affirmed the complaint, citation, and proposed penalties. After review was directed, the company's counsel advised that it had sent the $50 penalty payment and would…
Richmond Block, Inc.
Mixer lockout citation vacated after employee disregarded procedure
Richmond Block manufactured concrete products and used electrically powered mixers that employees entered for cleaning. The company had installed a padlock-based energy-isolation system, trained employees to use it, and instructed them to keep the key while inside a mixer. One employee entered…
Industrial Steel Erectors, Inc.
Tie-off citation vacated because compliance increased danger
Industrial Steel Erectors was dismantling a steel structure while two experienced employees removed the last bolts and pins holding a truss 30 to 35 feet above ground. The workers normally used a protected cage and lanyards, but refused to tie off for the final release because the truss could…
Lance Roofing Co., Inc.
Roof-edge guarding citation reinstated
Lance Roofing employees were installing a roof on a three-story motel without guardrails or an equivalent means of preventing falls from the edge. The judge vacated that item because he concluded that the open-sided-floor standard did not apply to flat roofs. Applying its decisions in related…
Moser Heating & Roofing Co., Inc.
Official release ends before the disposition
The Commission reviewed a judge's decision vacating an other-than-serious citation under the open-sided-floor standard. The judge had concluded that 29 C.F.R. § 1926.500(d)(1) did not apply to flat roofs. The Commission stated that it had reviewed the entire record and was adopting the judge's…
ARO, Inc.
Two confined-space hazards affirmed with $1,500 in penalties
ARO employees entered a pit furnace without testing its atmosphere or disconnecting argon piping, and two employees were overcome and died in the oxygen-deficient space. Other employees immediately attempted rescue, but suitable rescue equipment was not readily available and additional workers were…
Santa Fe Trail Transport Co.
Decision amended to state that no penalty was assessed
This short amendment corrects the Commission's decision issued two days earlier. That decision had incorrectly stated that the judge assessed a $50 penalty for violations involving the first-aid standard. The amendment states that the judge assessed no penalty and orders the earlier decision…
Intercounty Construction Corp.
Willful trench violation affirmed and penalty cut to $5,000
Intercounty Construction was installing a sewer line in a trench about 40 feet long and 10 feet deep. The trench was not properly sloped or shored, and the company intermittently removed its portable steel trench shield even after the foreman was told that employees were unprotected without it. The…
Luther Marvin Robbins d/b/a Robbins Painting Service
$900 aluminum-ladder penalty affirmed
Robbins Painting employees used and moved a 28-foot aluminum extension ladder near an energized 7,620-volt power line while painting an apartment building. The ladder contacted the line, and an employee received a fatal electrical shock. The foreman knew how close the power line was to the building…
Caribtow Corp.
Contest dismissed for refusing employee-participation notice
Caribtow expressly refused to post the Commission notice informing affected employees that they could participate in the case. The judge held that this refusal breached a condition of the company's continued participation and granted the Secretary's motion to dismiss the notice of contest. The…
V. O. Hegsted d/b/a Challenger Supply
Pallet-plant citation resolved with $106 in penalties
Challenger Supply produced wooden pallets at a small Idaho plant and received a 12-item other-than-serious citation. The judge affirmed violations involving washing facilities, housekeeping, an unguarded elevated storage area, forklift controls, missing eye protection, electrical grounding and…
Emory H. Mixon
Logging-truck violation classified as serious with a $100 penalty
Emory Mixon's logging operation used truck stake-release mechanisms that placed the operator on the side where the logs were unloaded. Drivers attached a 30-foot chain to each release, moved to the front or rear of the truck, and pulled it to lower the stake and release the load. The judge found a…
Cable Car Advertisers, Inc.
Ship-repair and posting citations partly affirmed
Cable Car Advertisers was converting the burned-out ferryboat San Leandro into a floating office while it was moored in San Francisco Bay. The Commission held that work on the floating, towable structure was covered by the maritime standards and that maintaining a workplace on navigable waters…
Mississippi Valley Erection Co. of Tennessee
Lifeline item reinstated but final order is missing
Mississippi Valley Erection received multiple citations involving float scaffolds, fall protection, temporary flooring, ladders, ropes, planking, air hoses, welding, and safety nets during structural steel work. The Commission held that an air-hose item had become a final order because the company…
Bi-Co Pavers, Inc.
Trench citation vacated because required slope was provided
Bi-Co Pavers dug a clay-soil trench for a municipal sewer line and sloped its sides at a two-to-one ratio without installing shoring. A portion collapsed after employees undermined a side to tighten pipe bolts, injuring two employees. The Secretary argued that a note in the trenching tables…
McCrory Sumwalt Construction Co.
Transformer-proximity citation affirmed with a $300 penalty
McCrory Sumwalt built a temporary enclosure around three energized 7,200-volt transformers at a shopping-center project. To reinforce the enclosure for a scaffold, the superintendent directed an employee to measure inside it near a transformer but did not specify how to make the measurement. The…
ADM Grain Co., Inc.
Maritime citations reinstated after postal-delay remand
ADM Grain received 12 other-than-serious maritime and workplace citations involving flotation devices, rescue and first-aid equipment, grain-spout certification, barge access, ladders, wire-rope clips, machinery guarding, accident reporting, and waste containers. The first judge vacated the entire…
F.F. Green Construction Co., Inc.
Safety citations affirmed and reporting penalty removed
F.F. Green was laying a water line in Anchorage when a backhoe contacted or came too close to a 115,000-volt transmission line and an employee guiding pipe was electrocuted. The judge affirmed three serious violations involving power-line clearance, spoil piled at the excavation edge, and…
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.