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 Jimmy Lee Hoover v. Mosenecamanufacturer, LLC dba American Tripoli
Secretary of Labor obo Jimmy Lee Hoover v. American Tripoli (FMSHRC CENT 2024-0024): Temporary reinstatement ordered
Jimmy Lee Hoover testified that he declined to open an electrical breaker box and reach inside after the external reset failed because he believed the task was unsafe. American Tripoli terminated him the following day and argued that the discharge resulted from prior performance, attendance…
Secretary of Labor v. Buzzi Unicem USA
Secretary of Labor v. Buzzi Unicem USA (FMSHRC CENT 2022-0189): No explanation and four-month delay barred reopening
Buzzi Unicem asked to reopen a defaulted penalty case so it could explain why it disagreed with the alleged violations. It gave no reason for failing to answer the Secretary's petition, the show-cause order, or the default order. Buzzi also waited about four months after MSHA sent a delinquency…
Barry Billcliff, dba Barry James, et al.
Roofing violations and personal liability affirmed
OSHA inspected roofing work at a hotel and conference center in Devens, Massachusetts, where workers lacked required inspections, head protection, fall protection, training, and compliant ladder access. Barry Billcliff denied controlling the project or employing anyone there, but the judge found…
Secretary of Labor obo Samuel Coleman v. Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor obo Samuel Coleman v. Warrior Met Coal Mining (FMSHRC SE 2024-0060): Temporary reinstatement granted
Samuel Coleman served as a designated miners' representative at Warrior Met Coal's No. 7 Mine. The Secretary alleged that Coleman questioned a supervisor about another miner's reported safety concerns and termination, said he would inspect the area, and raised a reflective-clothing issue before…
Cecil Matney, Jr. v. Rockwell Mining, LLC
Cecil Matney, Jr. v. Rockwell Mining (FMSHRC WEVA 2023-0126): Part 90 complaint sustained
Cecil Matney developed black lung disease and exercised his Part 90 right to work in a lower-dust environment. The judge found that Rockwell Mining kept him as a move crew foreman whose required duties exposed him to excessive dust and changed his work conditions while dust sampling occurred…
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. Select Materials
Secretary of Labor v. Select Materials (FMSHRC LAKE 2023-0148): Uncollected certified mail barred reopening
Select Materials said it never received a proposed assessment and first learned of the penalties when MSHA hand-delivered a collection letter. Postal records showed that certified delivery had been attempted at the operator's correct Ohio address and that multiple notices went uncollected before…
Secretary of Labor v. St. Marys Cement
Secretary of Labor v. St. Marys Cement (FMSHRC LAKE 2023-0116): Proactive data review supported reopening
St. Marys Cement received a proposed assessment shortly before Christmas while personnel were absent and safety leadership was changing. The company also mistakenly believed the citation had been contested through a different assessment. It discovered the error while proactively reviewing MSHA's…
Secretary of Labor v. Heidelberg Materials US Cement, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Heidelberg Materials US Cement, LLC (FMSHRC CENT 2023-0192): Omitted scan page supported reopening
Heidelberg Materials timely contested five penalties but unintentionally omitted the assessment's fourth page when scanning the contest form. Three citations on that page were therefore not included. After the Secretary filed a petition on the timely contests, Heidelberg reviewed the filing…
Secretary of Labor v. Entact
Secretary of Labor v. Entact (FMSHRC WEST 2023-0117): Returned assessment never became final
MSHA mailed Entact's proposed assessment to a former Pennsylvania address, and Postal Service records showed it was returned because the occupant had moved. Entact's current safety director and address of record were in Illinois, and the company found no copy of the assessment in its offices or…
Secretary of Labor v. Dyno Nobel
Secretary of Labor v. Dyno Nobel (FMSHRC SE 2023-0081): Holiday staffing and citation confusion excused delay
Dyno Nobel received a proposed assessment during the holiday period while personnel were absent and offices were closed. The assessment was not forwarded to counsel, and staff also confused the citation with a related citation issued on the same date. The company discovered the final order by…
Wildcat Renovation, LLC
EAJA fee application denied after citations were vacated
OSHA cited Wildcat Renovation after a concrete wall fell during demolition and struck an employee, who died from his injuries. The judge later vacated both demolition citations, and Wildcat applied for attorney fees and expenses under the Equal Access to Justice Act. Although Wildcat was allowed to…
Secretary of Labor obo Alvaro Saldivar v. Grimes Rock, Inc. (amended)
Secretary of Labor obo Alvaro Saldivar v. Grimes Rock, Inc. (FMSHRC WEST 2021-0178): Reinstatement continued through finality and required full pay
Alvaro Saldivar received temporary economic reinstatement after alleging that Grimes Rock fired him for safety complaints, with the company initially paying the difference between his new wages and his former mine wages. After Saldivar was incarcerated and Grimes discovered additional…
Mar-Jac Poultry MS, LLC
Eviscerator guarding and warning-sign violations affirmed
Mar-Jac operated poultry eviscerators at its Hattiesburg, Mississippi processing plant. An employee cleaning chicken parts and viscera around an operating eviscerator was caught in the machine and suffered fatal injuries. The judge found that the machine was unguarded, lacked safety-instruction…
Secretary of Labor v. Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Warrior Met Coal Mining (FMSHRC SE 2023-0146): Summary decision denied and amended answer allowed
The Secretary alleged that Warrior Met interfered with Mine Act walkaround rights by pursuing state-court contempt sanctions connected to union representatives' efforts to accompany MSHA inspections during a strike. She sought summary decision based largely on facts stated in the pleadings. The…
Ward Vessel & Exchanger Corporation
Lockout and injury-reporting citations vacated
Ward Vessel used a cord-and-plug plate roller to form metal cylinders at its Texas workshop. A supervisor troubleshooting an energized power problem activated the rollers without clearing the area, pinching an employee's fingertips and causing injuries later classified as amputations. The judge…
United States Postal Service, Lehigh Valley PDCF
Obstruction citations affirmed, willful classification reduced
During the 2020 pandemic and holiday mail surge, staffing shortages and increased volume caused mail containers and equipment to accumulate at the Postal Service's Lehigh Valley processing plant. OSHA found blocked traffic aisles, emergency exit routes, a fire-alarm pull station, and insufficient…
Asplundh Tree Expert, LLC
Dead-tree trimming citation vacated
Asplundh trimmed dead cottonwood trees near power lines in New Castle, Colorado. A climber fell about 35 feet after a cut tree section struck the branch supporting him, causing a broken leg and permanently disabling spinal injuries. The judge found that Asplundh and its industry recognized fall and…
Romancing the Stone, Inc.
Contest dismissed after failure to answer
OSHA issued Romancing the Stone three failure-to-abate citations involving hearing conservation and crystalline-silica protections, with proposed penalties totaling $122,364. The company filed a notice of contest but did not answer the Secretary's complaint. It also did not respond to a show-cause…
Secretary of Labor v. Arepet Industries, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Arepet Industries (FMSHRC CENT 2022-0221): MSHA jurisdiction over sand plant upheld
Arepet Industries argued that its Von Ormy sand plant belonged under OSHA because it bought commercially available wet sand and did not extract minerals. The plant stockpiled and dried the sand, used a separator to remove waste, and sold the processed material for use at oil and gas drilling sites…
Ireland Contracting, LLC
Roofing citations vacated because subcontractors controlled the work
Ireland Contracting sold and scheduled two residential roof replacements in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, then hired separate subcontractors to supply and supervise the roofing crews. OSHA cited Ireland Contracting for fall protection, eye protection, powered-industrial-truck, and scaffold violations…
Secretary of Labor obo John Collins v. Crimson Oak Grove Resources, LLC
Secretary of Labor obo John Collins v. Crimson Oak Grove Resources, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2023-0235): Loader safety concern supported temporary reinstatement
John Collins repeatedly told his supervisor that he was uncomfortable using a smaller front-end loader to lift heavy pan line. During the second lift, the loader's rear rose more than five feet, the load slid off, the machine crashed back down, and Collins injured his back. Crimson later discharged…
Secretary of Labor obo John Collins v. Crimson Oak Grove Resources, LLC
Secretary of Labor obo John Collins v. Crimson Oak Grove Resources, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2023-0235): Loader safety concern supported temporary reinstatement
John Collins repeatedly told his supervisor that he was uncomfortable using a smaller front-end loader to lift heavy pan line. During the second lift, the loader's rear rose more than five feet, the load slid off, the machine crashed back down, and Collins injured his back. Crimson later discharged…
Secretary of Labor obo Phillip Bowman v. Lexington Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor obo Phillip Bowman v. Lexington Coal Company (FMSHRC WEVA 2023-0363): Economic reinstatement tolled after mine shutdown
Lexington Coal sought to toll Phillip Bowman's temporary economic reinstatement after the Twilight Surface Mine was idled and employees with Bowman's skill set were laid off. The judge accepted evidence that the shutdown resulted from losing a high-price coal sales contract and that no comparable…
Secretary of Labor v. GCC Dacotah, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. GCC Dacotah, Inc. (FMSHRC CENT 2023-0173): Email-address typo treated as a unique mistake
GCC Dacotah attempted to email its contest on time, but a typo in MSHA's address prevented delivery and the company's system produced no error notice. After learning of the problem, it moved to reopen within 30 days and circulated a memorandum to safety personnel. The Commission majority…
Americold Logistics, LLC
Powered-vehicle aisle and training citations vacated
Americold operated powered industrial vehicles in a large Georgia cold-storage facility where pedestrians and vehicles shared the loading-dock floor. An untrained and unauthorized employee drove a vehicle and severely injured his ankle while trying to avoid a bollard. The judge vacated the aisle…
Arrow Plumbing, LLC
Three excavation violations affirmed, spoil-pile item vacated
Arrow Plumbing replaced a residential sewer line in Grain Valley, Missouri, using an excavation more than nine feet deep. Its owner and project supervisor worked inside without hard hats, with exposed utilities and a near-vertical wall but no trench box or other cave-in protection. The judge…
Secretary of Labor v. R.E. Pierson Materials Corp.
Secretary of Labor v. R.E. Pierson Materials Corp. (FMSHRC PENN 2022-0105): Mail-processing errors excused two missed contests
R.E. Pierson received two proposed assessments, but mine administrative staff did not forward them to the operations manager for review and processing. The company discovered the errors only after MSHA sent delinquency notices and then contacted outside counsel. It reported taking corrective…
Secretary of Labor obo James Louis Groves v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor obo James Louis Groves v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company (FMSHRC PENN 2023-0049): Default denied and late answer accepted
The Secretary sought default judgment after Consol Pennsylvania Coal did not answer a discrimination complaint by the deadline. Consol's original attorney stated under oath that the electronically sent complaint and related emails never reached his inbox, and new counsel filed an answer after…
Secretary of Labor v. Greenbrier Minerals, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Greenbrier Minerals, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2023-0191): One-day deadline mistake excused
Greenbrier Minerals' safety specialist miscalculated the assessment deadline and filed the contest one day late. The company sought to contest five citations and moved to reopen within ten days after the assessment became final. It made payments to avoid delinquency while expressly maintaining its…
Secretary of Labor v. Westmoreland Absaloka Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Westmoreland Absaloka Mining, LLC (FMSHRC WEST 2023-0221): Contest mailed with payment was reopened
Westmoreland timely mailed its payment for uncontested citations to MSHA's St. Louis lockbox, but mistakenly included its contest rather than sending the contest to MSHA's Arlington address. Two days after the assessment became final, MSHA told Westmoreland about the error. The company immediately…
Secretary of Labor v. Mulberry Limestone Quarry Co., Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Mulberry Limestone Quarry Co., Inc. (FMSHRC CENT 2023-0190): Contest mailed with payment was reopened
Mulberry Limestone correctly mailed payment for uncontested citations to MSHA's St. Louis lockbox. It mistakenly placed its contest in the same envelope instead of sending it to the Arlington office. MSHA later located the contest, but Mulberry did not learn of the mistake until a delinquency…
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. Cranesville Aggregates
Secretary of Labor v. Cranesville Aggregates (FMSHRC YORK 2023-0032): Personnel transition excused late contest
Cranesville received a proposed assessment while its safety department was in transition. Its safety director had semi-retired and was working from home, no replacement had been hired, and its safety manager was on leave. The company contested the assessment promptly after the department learned…
Secretary of Labor v. Two Rivers Sand & Gravel, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Two Rivers Sand & Gravel, Inc. (FMSHRC WEST 2023-0090): Combined assessment paperwork caused late contest
Two Rivers combined the pages of one proposed assessment with paperwork for another assessment that had a later due date. It processed both together and filed the contest for the earlier assessment too late. The company moved to reopen about two weeks after the assessment became final. The…
Secretary of Labor v. Terra Excavating, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Terra Excavating, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2023-0048): Prompt filing after duplicate assessment supported reopening
Terra said it never received the proposed assessment. Its counsel contacted MSHA to ask about the assessment's status and obtained a duplicate copy. Terra promptly attempted to contest it, then moved to reopen after MSHA said the contest was late. The Commission found good cause based on Terra's…
Secretary of Labor v. Lehigh Cement Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Lehigh Cement Company, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2023-0021): Counsel promptly corrected assessment mistake
Lehigh's counsel mistakenly believed that an earlier assessment contest covered all citations from the same inspection. When counsel recognized that 13 citations had not been contested, she moved to reopen them the next day. The Commission found that the missed deadline resulted from a mistake and…
Secretary of Labor v. Prairie State Generating Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Prairie State Generating Company, LLC (FMSHRC LAKE 2023-0038): Misaddressed contest was reopened
Prairie paid 19 of 23 penalties and intended to contest the other four. It said that it mailed the contest on the payment date but used the wrong address or otherwise made a mailing mistake. After MSHA sent a delinquency notice, Prairie moved to reopen the four citations. The Secretary did not…
Secretary of Labor v. Cooper Stone
Secretary of Labor v. Cooper Stone (FMSHRC CENT 2023-0057): Pandemic staff illnesses supported reopening
Cooper Stone said its normal practice was to contest proposed penalties immediately after receiving them. Staff illnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted that process and caused it to miss the deadline. The Commission found good cause, reopened the assessment, and remanded the case. It also…
Secretary of Labor v. Pocahontas Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Pocahontas Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2023-0092): Direction for review was vacated
The Commission had directed review and stayed briefing in this case. After deciding Consol Mining Co. and concluding there that a Judge erred in denying a settlement motion based on Mechanicsville Concrete and American Aggregates of Michigan, the Commission reconsidered the Secretary's petition in…
Texas Underground Utilities, Inc.
Repeat cave-in violation affirmed, two items vacated
OSHA found two Texas Underground Utilities employees working in a trench at a construction site in Houston. The judge affirmed a repeat-serious cave-in-protection violation because the trench reached seven feet in Type B soil and was not properly sloped, benched, or protected by a trench box. A…
Secretary of Labor v. CONSOL Mining Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. CONSOL Mining Company, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2023-0141): Judge could not strike settlement arguments
A Judge denied a settlement motion without reviewing the agreement and struck the Secretary's argument and supporting Commission cases. The Commission held that presenting those authorities did not violate its procedural rules and that striking them could prevent the Secretary from preserving…
Secretary of Labor v. R.E. Pierson Materials Corp.
Secretary of Labor v. R.E. Pierson Materials Corp. (FMSHRC PENN 2022-0105): Conflicting explanations prompted show-cause order
R.E. Pierson's counsel said the operator failed to forward the assessment to counsel, while the mine's operations manager said the clerical mistake occurred in counsel's office. The Commission found those accounts inconsistent. It ordered the operator and counsel to provide a uniform, detailed…
Secretary of Labor v. Cascade Concrete Products Company, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Cascade Concrete Products Company, Inc. (FMSHRC WEST 2023-0100): Misrouted contest was reopened
Cascade Concrete Products asked the Commission to reopen three proposed penalties that became final when its contest was not filed with the proper MSHA office. Cascade said it mailed the contest to MSHA's St. Louis payment office with payment for the uncontested citations instead of sending it to…
Secretary of Labor v. Northside Rock Products, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Northside Rock Products, LLC (FMSHRC WEST 2022-0288): Misfiled paperwork did not establish good cause
Northside Rock Products asked the Commission to reopen a penalty case that defaulted after it did not answer the Secretary's petition or a show-cause order. The company said paperwork was placed in the wrong file and that it mistakenly believed an answer had been filed. The Secretary opposed…
Secretary of Labor v. Southwest Rock Products, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Southwest Rock Products, Inc. (FMSHRC WEST 2021-0275): Unexplained delay barred reopening
Southwest Rock Products asked the Commission to reopen a penalty assessment that became final after the company did not answer the Secretary's petition or a show-cause order. The company said it was unsure why the case defaulted and had received no documentation. The Secretary did not oppose…
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…
Louisiana-Pacific Corporation and Tyler Wallace
Conveyor machine-guarding citation vacated
Louisiana-Pacific manufactured oriented strand board at a mill where an employee's hand and arm were caught in the ingoing nip point of a trim-waste conveyor while he was cleaning nearby. OSHA alleged that the unguarded nip point violated the machine-guarding standard and proposed a $13,653…
Elmer W. Davis, Inc.
Roof structural-integrity citation affirmed
Elmer W. Davis was replacing a warehouse roof when its crew discovered an unsafe depression in the roof deck and covered it with an unsecured, unmarked sheet of plywood. After someone moved the plywood, an employee stepped on the exposed depression, fell 14 feet through the roof, and suffered…
IMI Aggregates, LLC v. Secretary of Labor
IMI Aggregates v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC LAKE 2023-0249): Expedited hearing request denied
MSHA cited IMI Aggregates for failing to provide nonconductive material at an emergency-stop switch for a conveyor. IMI sought an expedited hearing, arguing that similar citations at 21 other mines could require costly electrical work, shutdowns, and lost production. The judge found those concerns…
Secretary of Labor v. Rockwell Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Rockwell Mining, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2023-0197, WEVA 2023-0198): Unclear delivery supported reopening
Rockwell Mining asked to reopen two penalty assessments that became final after MSHA records showed delivery but the company did not file contests. The delivery confirmations were signed "C COVID," and Rockwell said no employee had received the assessments. After learning of the problem during a…
Secretary of Labor v. Kiewit Mining Group
Secretary of Labor v. Kiewit Mining Group (FMSHRC WEST 2023-0051, WEST 2023-0053): Uncollected assessment mail was excusable
Kiewit Mining Group asked to reopen two penalty assessments that became final after packages sent to its designated post office were returned unclaimed. Kiewit could not identify why the packages were missed, but said an employee normally collected mail twice each week and that the company had no…
Secretary of Labor v. Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2023-0043): Unclear delivery and prompt action justified reopening
Vulcan Construction Materials asked to reopen a penalty assessment that became final when it did not file a contest within 30 days. The assessment went to the correct address, but Vulcan had no record of receiving it and the delivery confirmation identified only "V Construction." Vulcan filed its…
Secretary of Labor v. Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions
Secretary of Labor v. Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions (FMSHRC CENT 2022-0219): Waiting for a missing citation was excusable
Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions asked to reopen a penalty assessment after filing its contest about three weeks late. The assessment package was missing one citation, and the company waited for the MSHA District Office to provide a copy before deciding to file without it. The company later…
Secretary of Labor v. Appalachian Resource West Virginia, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Appalachian Resource West Virginia (FMSHRC WEVA 2022-0555): Eleven-citation settlement approved
The judge had previously denied a proposed settlement because the Secretary did not provide two section 104(b) withdrawal orders associated with citations in the docket. After the Commission's Perry County Resources decision held that a judge did not need the related withdrawal order when the…
Secretary of Labor obo Victor Torres v. W. G. Yates & Sons Construction Company
Secretary of Labor obo Victor Torres v. W. G. Yates & Sons Construction Company (FMSHRC WEST 2023-0256): Tolling issue required meaningful notice
Victor Torres alleged that W.G. Yates & Sons laid him off after he raised a safety concern, refused work he believed was unsafe, and photographed the incident for a report. A Judge found the discrimination complaint non-frivolous but tolled temporary reinstatement because layoffs had left no…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Mining Company LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Mining Company LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2023-0141): Interlocutory review was granted
The Administrative Law Judge certified questions for interlocutory review before issuing a final decision in the case. Commission Rule 76 permits this early review when a ruling presents a controlling legal question and immediate review would materially advance the proceeding. The Commission found…
Secretary of Labor v. Perry County Resources, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Perry County Resources, LLC (FMSHRC KENT 2022-0024): Unrelated abatement order was not required for settlement
Perry County Resources and the Secretary proposed settling four citations involving roof support, escapeways, a lifeline, and equipment guarding. A Judge denied approval because the Secretary would not provide a separate failure-to-abate order associated with a citation Perry accepted as written…
Secretary of Labor v. Blue Creek Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Blue Creek Mining, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2022-0470): Safety director departure supported reopening
Blue Creek Mining missed its deadline to contest a proposed penalty assessment after the corporate safety director who normally filed contests left the company. The outgoing director did not submit the contest or alert another employee to the deadline. A paralegal discovered the oversight, and the…
Secretary of Labor v. Callender Construction Company, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Callender Construction Company, Inc. (FMSHRC LAKE 2020-0189): Unopposed reopening request was granted
Callender Construction Company asked the Commission to reopen a penalty assessment that had become a final Commission order. The Secretary did not oppose the request. The Commission granted reopening and remanded the matter to the Chief Administrative Law Judge. It directed the Secretary to file a…
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.