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
7 decisions 29 C.F.R. § 1926.500(e)(1)(iv)

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COMM

All Phase Electric & Maintenance, Inc.

Construction citations settled for $865

All Phase Electric & Maintenance performed electrical work at a building construction site where OSHA cited hazard communication, gasoline-container, electrical guarding, and stair-railing conditions. The company president admitted the hazard communication deficiencies and stated that he had been…

January 17, 1992
Settled
COMM

Sprinkle Masonry, Inc.

Scaffold case settled for $7,000

Sprinkle Masonry contested scaffold items alleged as willful, two repeat ladder-related instances, and an other-than-serious item. Under the settlement, the Secretary removed the willful characterization from the scaffold violations and Sprinkle Masonry withdrew its contest to those items. The…

August 22, 1991
Settled
COMM

Easley Roofing & Sheet Metal Company, Inc.

Roof-edge and stairway items remanded

The judge found that Easley Roofing employees used a stairway with inadequate railings but classified the violation as de minimis. He also vacated a citation alleging that employees worked near a roof edge without personal fall protection because he placed the burden on the Secretary to prove that…

May 21, 1980
Remanded
COMM

Limbach Company

Missing stair railing violation affirmed

Limbach employees used a flight of stairs leading to a work trailer that lacked a railing on one open side. The company admitted the stair configuration but argued that the stair width and a nearby storage box removed the fall hazard. The judge found that those conditions might reduce the…

April 11, 1977
Citations affirmed
COMM

Frank Briscoe Company, Inc.

Construction citations partly upheld and partly vacated

Frank Briscoe was the general contractor for a multilevel building project where OSHA cited housekeeping, floor-opening, scaffold, ladder, fall-protection, and hard-hat conditions. The Commission vacated a general personal-protective-equipment item because OSHA did not identify or prove a feasible…

October 4, 1976
Mixed result
COMM

The Ashton Company, Inc.

Steel-erection railing rule controlled temporary floors

The Ashton Company was the general contractor building a multistory county courthouse in Tucson, Arizona. During the steel-erection stage, employees installed plywood decking and poured concrete on partially completed second and third floors. OSHA cited Ashton under the general open-sided-floor…

January 26, 1976
Mixed result
COMM

Larry D. Mack, General Contractor

Three construction items affirmed without penalties

OSHA cited six conditions at a small construction project. The judge affirmed a technical open-wiring violation because a partially covered energized panel remained accessible, a stair-railing violation because carpenters were using the stairs, and a fire-extinguisher violation because travel…

November 27, 1974
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.