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.

5,593 decisions and counting · Latest decision July 17, 2026
4 decisions 29 C.F.R. § 1910.133(a)

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ALJ

Joel Patterson Air Conditioning Recycling

Workplace violations resulted in $4,100 in penalties

Joel Patterson Air Conditioning Recycling paid workers daily to dismantle used air conditioners at its warehouse but labeled them subcontractors. Applying the economic-realities test, the judge found they were employees because the business controlled the workplace, pay, hours, equipment, hiring…

July 3, 2002 ·Ken S. Welsch
Mixed result
COMM

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…

May 3, 1974
Modified
COMM

Dundas Pallet Company, Division of Industrial Wood and Pallet Company

Eye-protection violation affirmed

Dundas Pallet cut lumber and manufactured pallets at an Ohio plant. Employees operating or working near power saws and automatic nailers were not provided with or required to wear protective eyewear. The company stipulated to the violation, and its vice president testified that management had known…

February 14, 1973
Citations affirmed
COMM

Equity Supply Company

Liquid and extinguisher items vacated

Equity Supply stipulated to several housekeeping, guarding, protective-equipment, compressed-air, and electrical violations at its Montana facility. The remaining dispute concerned alleged storage of combustible liquid in open containers and inspection of fire extinguishers. The Commission vacated…

January 16, 1973
Mixed result

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.