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-States Construction Co., Inc.
Trench and crane rulings affirmed in two-member impasse
Mid-States Construction Co., Inc. was cited over trench shoring, an unbarricaded crane swing radius, and unguarded moving machine parts. Both commissioners agreed that the crane required a physical barricade and affirmed that violation. They disagreed about the trench-shoring violation and whether…
W. E. Dalton, M. L. Dalton & J. B. Truelove, d/b/a E. L. Dalton & Co.
Trench timbering and warning-vest items affirmed
E. L. Dalton & Co. performed trenching work beside a public street and near railroad tracks in Irving, Texas. The Commission affirmed a serious trench-timbering violation because the company used three-quarter-inch plywood where the applicable table required larger timber, and it sustained a $100…
Columbus and Southern Ohio Electric Company
Contested trenching items vacated
The utility’s employees worked in an 8-to-10-foot-deep trench protected by plywood sheeting, hydraulic jacks, and sloped upper walls. OSHA alleged inadequate support in soft or unstable soil, insufficient close sheeting, and a need for additional bracing because a parked backhoe was near one end…
John R. Davies & Son
Trench-shoring violation affirmed with reduced penalty
John R. Davies & Son installed underground utility lines in an eight-foot-deep trench containing soft, loose, sandy material. The trench uprights were spaced about eight feet apart instead of the six-foot maximum required by the cited timbering table, and one employee was exposed in the trench. The…
Boring & Tunneling Co. of America
Trench ladder and shoring violations affirmed
Boring & Tunneling employees worked in a 14-foot-deep sewer trench reached by a short, improperly pitched, and unsecured ladder. The trench sides were nearly vertical, and the shoring used deteriorated, split, and rotting timbers while nearby highway traffic created vibration. The administrative…
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.