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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Mid South Waffles, Inc., d/b/a Waffle House #1283
Grease-fire item vacated and cleaner PPE items affirmed
A fire occurred beneath a restaurant griddle after grease and waste accumulated in its removable drawer. The Commission vacated the general duty clause item because the Secretary did not identify the specific inspection or cleaning steps Waffle House needed beyond its existing once-per-shift rule…
Consolidated Barricades, Inc.
Three-year-late contest dismissed with prejudice
Consolidated Barricades received two serious citation items in December 2012 but did not contest them until November 2015. The company disputed the underlying PPE and forklift allegations but gave no explanation for missing the 15-working-day deadline. The judge found no excusable neglect or other…
Wal-Mart Distribution Center #6016
Site-specific PPE assessment affirmed, three equipment items vacated
Wal-Mart relied on a personal-protective-equipment hazard assessment performed at an Arkansas distribution center as a global assessment for its New Braunfels, Texas facility. The Commission affirmed the hazard-assessment item because Wal-Mart had not verified that conditions at the two locations…
Big Cat, Inc. d/b/a The Rex
Restaurant chemical-safety items affirmed and power-strip item vacated
OSHA cited The Rex restaurant for inadequate eye and hand protection when employees handled corrosive cleaning chemicals, improper use of a power strip for a refrigerator, and the absence of a written hazard communication program. The judge affirmed the PPE items because safety data sheets required…
O'Connell Electric Company, Inc.
PPE selection and hazard-certification items affirmed
O'Connell Electric crews performed electrical replacement and maintenance work at a university building where some 34,500-volt switches remained energized. An electrician entered an energized switch cabinet outside the crew's assigned work and suffered severe burns in an arc flash. The judge found…
Six Flags Theme Parks, Inc. dba Six Flags Great America
Health violations affirmed with $50,000 in penalties
OSHA inspected maintenance, painting, sign, welding, first aid, and park-service operations at Six Flags Great America and issued a 29-item serious citation. The allegations involved peroxide storage, chemical-resistant gloves, respirators, lead, hexavalent chromium, bloodborne pathogens…
J.C. Watson Company
Onion packing operations were subject to general-industry standards
J.C. Watson Company grew onions and operated an Idaho facility that cleaned, sorted, graded, packaged, and prepared them for shipment. After an employee's arm was caught under a moving conveyor, OSHA cited the company under numerous general-industry standards. Watson argued that its packing work…
Lewis County Dairy Corp.
Widespread safety violations result in $72,750 penalty
OSHA found extensive safety deficiencies at Lewis County Dairy's kosher dairy plant, including missing safety programs, inadequate lockout practices, unguarded equipment, electrical hazards, deficient fall protection, and insufficient hazard communication. Of the 33 serious citation items, the…
Jimerson Under-Ground, Inc.
Sewer confined-space citations vacated and remanded
Jimerson replaced an existing municipal sewer line by inserting a smaller structural PVC pipe through it and rebuilding connected manholes. Two subcontractor employees died after being overcome in a manhole, and two Jimerson employees survived after attempting a rescue. OSHA cited Jimerson under…
C-Post
Willful lockout and guarding citations cut to serious after a small fence-post maker's amputation injury
C-Post is a small Montana company that makes wooden fence posts and furniture legs from logs, employing about 10 people. After a worker's left hand was severed in a doweler machine, OSHA inspected and issued a long list of serious, willful, repeat, and other-than-serious citations covering…
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.