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. CAM Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. CAM Mining, LLC (FMSHRC KENT 2013-196 R): Undersized roof stumps and the preshift examiner's duty to report what he can see
During retreat mining at CAM Mining's underground coal mine in Kentucky, an MSHA inspector found that the coal stumps left to hold up the roof measured as little as one to three feet where the mine's approved roof control plan required at least six. Two preshift examinations had passed without…
Secretary of Labor v. Rockhouse Energy Mining
Secretary of Labor v. Rockhouse Energy Mining (FMSHRC KENT 2012-891): Rib-control penalty reduced to $100, preshift citation vacated
A miner was injured by falling rib material while Rockhouse Energy was rehabilitating an idle section before resuming production. Judge L. Zane Gill found that the inspector exaggerated widespread rib and brow conditions after the accident and that neutral and mine witnesses had not observed a…
Secretary of Labor v. Excel Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Excel Mining, LLC (FMSHRC KENT 2009-1368): Pump permissibility findings and $49,000 affirmed
Two de-watering pump starter boxes in Excel Mining's underground coal mine lacked packing that would contain an internal ignition, and one cable had been cut down to fit the box. The Commission affirmed that the violations were S&S because the pumps were near methane-releasing seals, five returns…
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review, an ALJ decision becomes a final order under 29 U.S.C. § 661(j): it binds the parties in that case but is not binding precedent in other cases.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.