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. Alcoa World Alumina, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Alcoa World Alumina, LLC (FMSHRC CENT 2015-128, CENT 2015-365, CENT 2015-401): Negligence reduced and unwarrantable findings deleted
A Turner Industries contractor supervisor was seriously burned by heated caustic process liquor while a crew cleared a blocked pipe at Alcoa's Bayer Alumina Plant. Alcoa conceded three violations and their significant and substantial designations but disputed the high-negligence and…
Secretary of Labor v. Mach Mining, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Mach Mining, Inc. (FMSHRC LAKE 2014-77, LAKE 2014-132): Mixed 20-citation ruling with $43,280 total penalty
Two dockets contained 20 citations at Mach Mining's underground coal mine. Judge Thomas P. McCarthy approved partial settlements, recognized one citation vacated by the Secretary, granted a directed verdict vacating two chirp-alert citations because section 75.821(a) required periodic testing and…
Secretary of Labor v. Kopper Glo Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Kopper Glo Mining, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2014-403): Late review petition considered but denied
The Secretary filed a petition for discretionary review based on the date of a corrected ALJ decision rather than the earlier original decision. Rule 69(c) normally provides that correcting a clerical error does not restart the review deadline, but the corrected decision was not labeled amended and…
Sherwin Alumina Company, LLC v. Secretary of Labor; Secretary of Labor v. Sherwin Alumina Company, LLC; United Steelworkers, Local 235A, Intervenor
Sherwin Alumina Company, LLC v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC CENT 2015-0151-RM, et al.): Locked-out miners retained walkaround representation
Sherwin Alumina locked out about 450 union-represented miners and temporarily replaced them, then barred their designated miners' representative from accompanying MSHA inspections. Judge Thomas P. McCarthy distinguished Commission precedent involving economic strikers because locked-out employees…
Signature Mining Services, LLC v. Secretary of Labor
Signature Mining Services, LLC v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC EAJ 2012-0002): Reimbursed legal costs did not support EAJA award
Signature Mining Services prevailed against an overbroad MSHA imminent-danger order and sought $80,004.37 in fees and expenses under the Equal Access to Justice Act. Its mine-owner contracting partner had promised to reimburse defense costs and had paid all costs from the underlying contest plus…
Secretary of Labor v. Recon Refractory & Construction
Secretary of Labor v. Recon Refractory & Construction (FMSHRC WEST 2010-450-M): Four electrical citations affirmed and examination citation vacated
RECON, a subcontractor at Drake Quarry, was cited for an ungrounded generator, missing continuity testing, damaged extension cords with exposed wiring, missing grounding prongs, and an alleged failure to perform workplace examinations. Judge Alan G. Paez held RECON strictly liable for the…
Secretary of Labor v. Clintwood Elkhorn Mining Company, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Clintwood Elkhorn Mining Company, Inc. (FMSHRC KENT 2011-1354, et al.): late review petition denied
Clintwood Elkhorn filed a petition for discretionary review on June 16, 2014, three days after the deadline measured from the Judge's May 14 decision. The Commission held that a May 15 amended decision correcting a clerical error did not restart the 30-day filing period under its procedural rule…
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.