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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Sturm Ruger & Co., Pine Tree Castings Division
Targeted inspection and settlements affirmed
OSHA used injury and illness data from Pine Tree Castings to select the handgun-casting facility for a programmed inspection under a nationwide targeting plan. Sturm Ruger challenged the data survey, inspection warrant, discovery rulings, evidence, and subpoenas. The Commission held that OSHA had…
The Specialist of the South, Inc.
$3,000 penalty affirmed for 39 serious items
The Specialists operated a small furniture repair, refinishing, and upholstery business using flammable and toxic materials. OSHA cited 39 serious violations, primarily involving fire and explosion hazards, and proposed $9,900 in penalties. An ALJ affirmed every serious item but assessed a combined…
Anoplate Corporation
Mixed ruling on plating, chemical storage, and recordkeeping items
Anoplate operated an electroplating and metal-finishing plant with open chemical tanks, chemical storage, spray painting, and compressed-air work. The Commission affirmed a nonserious eye-protection violation because dipping racks created a significant risk of harmful splashes, and it assessed $25…
Schulte Corporation
Three electroplating-protection violations affirmed
Schulte manufactured bathroom fixtures and finished them in electroplating tanks containing corrosive chemical solutions. The Commission affirmed a nonserious violation because employees exposed to chromic acid received no periodic examinations after their pre-employment physicals. It also affirmed…
P. & M. Sales, Inc.
Mixed citation ruling and $35 penalty affirmed
P. & M. Sales manufactured toys and dolls and was cited for several nonserious conditions involving its spray and electro-forming areas. The Commission held that the employer's timely written contest of the penalties, together with a contemporaneous oral communication contesting the citation, gave…
Penn Central Transportation Co.
Rail-shop safety violations and $625 penalty affirmed
OSHA cited Penn Central's railway maintenance and repair shop for 15 nonserious conditions involving fall protection, fire and chemical safety, compressed air, machine and electrical guarding, and failure to post the OSHA notice. The Commission agreed that railroad status did not remove OSHA…
GTE Automatic Electric, Inc.
Emergency-wash item affirmed and drill-press item vacated
GTE Automatic Electric was cited for an employee handling materials near acid baths without eye protection, emergency showers and eye washes located 50 to 75 feet from plating tanks, paint residue in spray booths, and unguarded drill presses. The judge affirmed the eye-protection and emergency-wash…
Plessey-Burton, Inc.
Housekeeping and emergency-water violations affirmed
Plessey-Burton cleaned, processed, and electroplated electrical components at a Los Angeles facility. The Commission affirmed a housekeeping violation based on acid spills and disorderly chemical-drum storage that created slipping and tripping hazards. It also affirmed a violation for failing to…
St. Louis County Water Company
Penalties reduced to $450
St. Louis County Water Company was cited for 32 non-serious violations at five facilities, including electrical, stairway, housekeeping, flammable-liquid, compressed-gas, welding, equipment, ladder, and protective-equipment conditions. The company stopped contesting the violations and abatement…
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.