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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Secretary of Labor v. The American Coal Company and United Mine Workers of America and United Steel, et al.
Secretary of Labor v. The American Coal Company, et al. (FMSHRC LAKE 2011-13): Settlement penalty cuts require factual support
MSHA issued The American Coal Company 32 citations, including 14 designated significant and substantial, for conditions cited between July and August 2010. The Secretary proposed a settlement that left every citation and its gravity and negligence allegations unchanged but reduced every penalty by…
Oak Grove Resources, LLC v. Secretary of Labor
Oak Grove Resources, LLC v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC SE 2009-261 R, SE 2009-487): Fatal-accident safeguard case settled for $35,000
After a fatal accident, MSHA cited Oak Grove for violating a transportation safeguard. Earlier Commission proceedings established that the safeguard was valid and violated but rejected the S&S designation, leaving the penalty for remand. The Judge assessed $50,000 after changing his earlier…
United Mine Workers of America on behalf of Mark A. Franks and Ronald M. Hoy v. Emerald Coal Resources, LP
UMWA obo Mark Franks and Ronald Hoy v. Emerald Coal Resources, LP (FMSHRC PENN 2013-305, et al.): Closed-mine discrimination cases settled for $20,000
After a divided Commission ruling and a Third Circuit remand, an ALJ found that Emerald Coal unlawfully interfered with miners Mark Franks and Ronald Hoy and assessed $40,000. By the time the parties settled, Emerald's mine had closed, Emerald and its parent were in bankruptcy, and all other…
Secretary of Labor v. Excel Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Excel Mining, LLC (FMSHRC KENT 2012-952, KENT 2012-953): Three violations settled for $10,500
Excel Mining and the Secretary resolved three training and accident-reporting violations on the scheduled hearing date. The original proposed penalties totaled $12,143, and the parties agreed to $10,500 after placing their terms and supporting reasons on the record. Judge Alan G. Paez found the…
Secretary of Labor v. The American Coal Company
Secretary of Labor v. The American Coal Company (FMSHRC LAKE 2011-13): Unsupported blanket penalty reduction denied on reconsideration
The Secretary asked Judge William B. Moran to reconsider an earlier denial of a settlement that cut every penalty for 32 citations by 30 percent without changing any citation, gravity finding, or negligence finding. The renewed motion supplied no additional citation-specific facts and argued that…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Reuben Shemwell v. Armstrong Coal Company, Inc. and Armstrong Fabricators, Inc.
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Reuben Shemwell v. Armstrong Coal Company, Inc. and Armstrong Fabricators, Inc. (FMSHRC KENT 2013-362-D): Retaliation settlement approved over dissent
Armstrong filed a Kentucky civil lawsuit against miner Reuben Shemwell after he exercised Mine Act discrimination rights. An ALJ found that the lawsuit unlawfully interfered with those rights but later rejected a proposed settlement. The Commission majority vacated that denial and approved an…
Secretary of Labor v. Dickenson-Russell Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Dickenson-Russell Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC VA 2012-397): Settlement rejected and S&S-review question certified
The Secretary and Dickenson-Russell proposed reducing a $971 citation penalty to $500 and removing its S&S designation. Judge Thomas P. McCarthy rejected the amended settlement because the parties did not request corresponding gravity and affected-miner modifications and because the Secretary…
Dominion Coal Corporation
Dominion Coal Corporation (FMSHRC VA 2012-227): Unsupported settlement rejected and case set for hearing
The Secretary asked to modify a citation's expected-injury finding and reduce its penalty from $1,111 to $777.70. Judge Priscilla M. Rae found that the motion supplied no facts supporting either change, despite Commission Rule 31 and prior instructions requiring a factual basis for each settlement…
Dickenson-Russell Coal Company, LLC
Dickenson-Russell Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC VA 2012-397): Unsupported settlement rejected before later contest withdrawal
The Secretary proposed deleting the significant and substantial designation from a citation and reducing its penalty from $971 to $500. Judge Thomas P. McCarthy found that the settlement motion supplied no facts supporting either change, as required by Commission Rule 31. He rejected the motion and…
Mountain Edge Mining, Inc.
Mountain Edge Mining, Inc. (FMSHRC WEVA 2009-1519): Settlement motion remanded to the judge
Mountain Edge Mining obtained Commission review of Judge William Moran's civil-penalty decision. After review was granted, the operator and the Secretary jointly asked the Commission to approve a settlement and direct payment under their agreement. The Commission did not decide the settlement…
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.