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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Thomas G. Gallagher, Inc.
Crane rigging violations affirmed with reduced penalties
A pipefitter suffered a serious hand injury when a weld broke during a crane lift of a 5,000-pound pipe assembly. The load was improperly rigged, and the employee placed his hand directly on the suspended assembly. The judge found constructive knowledge because Gallagher had not adequately…
VP Buildings, Inc.
Overhead-crane obstruction citation vacated after coil fatality
VP Buildings used an overhead crane to move a steel coil into a storage rack. The suspended coil contacted stored coils, two coils fell, and an employee died after being pinned beneath them. OSHA alleged that the company failed to keep a hoisted load from contacting an obstruction. Judge Nancy J…
American Motors Corporation
Welding-ventilation item vacated and $254 assessed
OSHA cited American Motors for 29 non-serious conditions at its Milwaukee automobile plant. After withdrawals, admissions, and a hearing, the administrative law judge affirmed 17 items, vacated 12, and assessed $279. Commission review focused on a welding station where no mechanical ventilation was…
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review, an ALJ decision becomes a final order under 29 U.S.C. § 661(j): it binds the parties in that case but is not binding precedent in other cases.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.