Federal Agency Decisions
Workplace-safety cases from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), mine-safety cases from the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC), and environmental appeals from the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board, 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 on behalf of Lige Williamson v. CAM Mining, LLC
Temporary reinstatement denied, then reversed
Lige Williamson alleged that CAM Mining discharged him after he complained to his foreman about ventilation. Judge Jerold Feldman assumed the complaint occurred but found no reasonable connection between that activity and Williamson's discharge after a confrontation with the foreman. The judge…
Chicopee Coal Company, Inc.
Settlement approved and proceedings dismissed
Chicopee Coal Company agreed to settle discrimination complaints brought on behalf of Lewis Frank Bates and Earl Charles Albu after both miners raised safety concerns about supervisors and equipment at the Lilly Branch Surface Mine. Bates was economically reinstated while the proceedings were…
Chicopee Coal Company, Incorporated
Temporary reinstatement and economic relief ordered
Chicopee Coal operated the Lilly Branch Surface Mine in West Virginia, where it used highwall mining machines and also ran a coal preparation plant. Lewis Frank Bates and Earl Charles Albu were discharged after Bates lost supervisory responsibilities and Albu raised concerns about an unmaintained…
Mountain Top Trucking Company and Mayes Trucking Company, Inc.
Temporary reinstatement ordered in two cases
The Secretary sought temporary reinstatement for Lonnie Bowling, Walter Jackson, and David Fagan after alleged protected safety complaints and discrimination. Judge Jerold Feldman found Bowling's and Fagan's complaints were not frivolous and ordered Mayes Trucking, as Mountain Top's successor, to…
C & H Mining Company, Inc.
Temporary reinstatement ordered for two miners
C & H Mining Company employed Wayne Kizziah and Roger Kizziah as truck drivers at its Alabama mine. After MSHA investigated a discrimination complaint, the company ended Sunday loading for truck drivers and reduced the brothers’ pay, while other drivers kept the prior compensation plan. The…
Virgnia Carbon, Inc.
Temporary reinstatement ordered after safety complaint
John L. Jones, Jr. worked as a scoop operator at Virginia Carbon's Mine No. 4 and was discharged after refusing to sign an examination book and leaving a note about miners working under unsupported roof. Judge William Fauver found that the evidence showed a substantial, nonfrivolous basis for the…
Decondor Coal Company, Inc.
Temporary reinstatement ordered
David S. Haynes alleged that Decondor Coal Company fired him after he stopped work and removed miners from an area because he believed electrical and water conditions were hazardous. Judge Avram Weisberger found that the complaint was not frivolously brought. Because the afternoon-shift job had…
What these documents are
- The agencies: Workplace-safety cases from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), mine-safety cases from the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC), and environmental permit and penalty appeals from the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board (EAB). Each decision page names its agency.
- Commission and Board decisions: Rulings by the agency's highest review level (the Commission at OSHRC and FMSHRC, the Environmental Appeals Board at EPA). These are citable as precedent, though a decision may have been appealed to a U.S. Court of Appeals after issuance.
- ALJ decisions: Rulings by the agency's Administrative Law Judges after a hearing. When no Commissioner directs review, an ALJ decision becomes a final order that binds the parties in that case but is not binding precedent: under 29 U.S.C. § 661(j) at OSHRC, and after the 40-day window of 30 U.S.C. § 823(d)(1) at FMSHRC.
- 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 public release from the deciding agency, and the full text on the page is that release. The plain-English summaries are written by Ezel.