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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Boise Cascade Corporation
Sawmill guarding violations and $300 penalty affirmed
OSHA cited Boise Cascade's sawmill for inadequate guarding of end saws on board and cant trimmers and of components on a Bolter saw. The equipment had some guards, but the judge found that the cited guards did not adequately protect employees and that 29 C.F.R. §§ 1910.265(e)(4)(ii)(b) and…
Atlantic & Gulf Stevedores, Inc.
Five longshore hard-hat violations affirmed
Atlantic & Gulf's longshore employees repeatedly worked without protective hats where falling objects could injure their heads. The company supplied hats at no charge and promoted their use through meetings, signs, pay-envelope messages, and hiring tapes, but many employees continued to refuse…
Northern Metal Company
Hard-hat violations affirmed but repeat claims and penalties removed
Northern Metal's longshore employees repeatedly worked without protective hats despite the company's efforts to encourage their use. The Commission held that Northern Metal remained their employer under the economic realities of the hiring-hall arrangement because it paid the workers, determined…
Independent Pier Company; Holt Marine Terminal, Inc.; I.T.O. of Ameriport, Inc.; Atlantic & Gulf Stevedores, Inc.
Longshore hard-hat violations affirmed but employee order vacated
Six consolidated cases involved stevedoring companies whose longshore employees refused to wear supplied hard hats at the Port of Philadelphia. The judge held the employers responsible under 29 C.F.R. § 1918.105(a), affirmed or modified the citations, and assessed penalties totaling $545 across the…
A & M Sheet Metal, Inc.
Ironworker guarding citation vacation affirmed
A & M operated a multipurpose Ironworker that cut and punched metal through three sets of dies activated by a foot treadle. The machine lacked a point-of-operation guard, but the operator stood about 18 inches away, held material with one hand on each side of the danger area, and the record did not…
Blaisdell Manufacturing, Inc.
Settlement disclaimer required revision
Blaisdell Manufacturing entered a settlement covering two serious citations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The Commission affirmed the vacation of citation 2 because the Secretary said he could not produce enough evidence to prove it. It set aside approval of citation 1 because the…
John B. Kelly, Inc.
Wall-collapse violation affirmed and serious penalty raised
John B. Kelly employees modified a 17-foot free-standing masonry wall at a federal construction project. A supervisor directed that the wall be supported with diagonal braces, but twice observed the employee proceeding without those braces and left after repeating warnings. The employee later…
Brisk Waterproofing Company, Inc.
Scaffold access charge amended and $1,200 assessed
Brisk employees performed caulking work from two suspended scaffolds 18 stories above the ground. An employee moved between them around a pylon and across an open gap without a safety belt, and three employees occupied a scaffold rated for no more than two workers. The Commission held that OSHA…
Detroit Printing Pressmen Local No. 13, International Printing Pressmen & Assistants Union of North America, AFL-CIO
Union's noise-abatement extension request dismissed
OSHA cited the Evening News Association for excessive workplace noise and set deadlines for temporary protection and longer-term controls. Neither the employer nor the union contested the citation, so it became final. The union later asked the Commission to extend the abatement period because the…
Hydroswift Corporation
$120 penalty affirmed for four higher-gravity items
Hydroswift, a fiberglass-boat manufacturer, did not dispute 12 non-serious violations and contested only four $30 penalties. The penalized items involved missing stair and open-floor railings, improper storage of flammable liquids, combustible residue in spray areas and on sprinkler protection, and…
Jaso-Carol Dress Co., Inc.
Dismissal reversed after proof of service was found
OSHA cited Jaso-Carol Dress for four non-serious violations involving fan guards, exit signs, sewing-machine drives, and an electrical junction box, with a $30 penalty on one item. The judge dismissed the company's contest because the case record appeared not to contain proof that its filings had…
Standard Glass Company, Inc.
Hard-hat citation vacated as isolated employee conduct
Two Standard Glass employees left company vehicles and spent less than five minutes in a hard-hat area without protective helmets. The company had required hard hats before the OSH Act, supplied them to workers and visitors, instructed employees to wear them, and enforced the rule with discipline…
Paulmar Wire Products, Inc.
Notice of contest reinstated before withdrawal
OSHA cited Paulmar Wire Products for seven nonserious machine, electrical, eye-protection, and fire-safety violations and proposed a total penalty of $90. A judge dismissed the company's notice of contest because the record lacked proof that it had been served by registered or certified mail. The…
General Meat Company, Inc.
Low-gravity penalties vacated after prompt abatement
OSHA cited General Meat for electrical, drinking-water, restroom, lunch-area, and fire-extinguisher conditions and proposed $280 in penalties. The judge affirmed 12 non-serious items and allowed the Secretary to withdraw two other allegations. On review, the Commission focused on the penalties for…
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.