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. Peabody Midwest Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Midwest Mining, LLC (FMSHRC LAKE 2016-305): Rib order reduced to a $40,000 citation
MSHA issued Peabody Midwest Mining a section 104(d)(2) order for loose coal ribs across 13 entries at its Francisco Underground Pit and specially assessed a $165,700 penalty. Judge William B. Moran found that Peabody violated the rib-control standard and that the violation was significant and…
Secretary of Labor v. The American Coal Company
Secretary of Labor v. The American Coal Company (FMSHRC LAKE 2008-666, et al.): Unwarrantable findings restored for belt hazards
Three orders at American Coal's Galatia Mine involved energized electrical work, extensive combustible accumulations along a belt, and failure to record hazardous conditions during on-shift examinations. The Commission affirmed the judge's treatment of the electrical violation as S&S and highly…
Secretary of Labor v. Oak Grove Resources, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Oak Grove Resources, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2013-301, et al.): Secretary ordered to detail proof for repeated flagrant charge
Oak Grove faced a repeated flagrant designation for extensive combustible accumulations under 30 C.F.R. § 75.400. Judge Jerold Feldman concluded that the Secretary's proposed test did not adequately distinguish a flagrant violation from an ordinary significant-and-substantial violation. He ruled…
Secretary of Labor v. The American Coal Company
Secretary of Labor v. The American Coal Company (FMSHRC LAKE 2008-666, et al.): Five orders modified and flagrant findings removed
MSHA alleged five serious violations at American Coal's large, methane-liberating Galatia Mine involving energized electrical work, unsupported roof and ribs, inadequate preshift and on-shift examinations, and extensive belt-line combustible accumulations. Senior Judge Michael E. Zielinski upheld…
Secretary of Labor v. Oak Grove Resources, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Oak Grove Resources, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2013-301, et al.): Briefing ordered on repeated flagrant violation test
MSHA designated an extensive coal-accumulations order at Oak Grove Mine as a repeated flagrant violation carrying enhanced penalty exposure. Judge Jerold Feldman found that unresolved legal questions about the repeated-flagrant standard had to be addressed before the hearing. He ordered briefing on…
Secretary of Labor v. Wolf Run Mining Company
Secretary of Labor v. Wolf Run Mining Company (FMSHRC WEVA 2008-1265): Past violations may support a repeated-failure flagrant penalty
Wolf Run challenged a $142,900 flagrant penalty for combustible-material accumulations. The ALJ held that a repeated-failure flagrant violation could be based only on repeated failures to eliminate the particular cited condition, not on prior similar violations. The Commission reversed. It held…
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.