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 v. Twentymile Coal Company
$1,500 penalty reinstated after appellate remand
MSHA issued Twentymile Coal Company an order for violating the mandatory training standard in 30 C.F.R. § 48.7(c). The Commission had previously affirmed the violation but set aside the proposed penalty. The D.C. Circuit affirmed the violation ruling, vacated the penalty ruling, and remanded the…
Secretary of Labor v. Twentymile Coal Company
Training violation affirmed, penalty vacated
MSHA issued Twentymile Coal Company an order after miners worked to unplug a rock chute without task training, and one miner suffered serious, non-fatal head injuries when material spilled from the chute. The Commission held that the training violation was significant and substantial, found the…
Jim Walter Resources, Inc.
Settlement approved after No. 5 Mine explosion cases
Jim Walter Resources operated the No. 5 Mine, where two explosions killed 13 miners and seriously injured three others. MSHA sought penalties for 310 alleged violations in 17 consolidated proceedings, although the decision states that none of the alleged violations was claimed to have caused the…
Twentymile Coal Company
Training violation affirmed and penalty reduced
Twentymile Coal Company operated a large underground bituminous coal mine in Colorado. After a rock chute jammed, miners were assigned to unplug it without the task training required by 30 C.F.R. § 48.7(c), and one miner was seriously injured when he fell and rocks spilled from the chute. Judge…
Homestake Mining Company of California
Settlement approved and $31,000 in penalties affirmed
Homestake Mining Company of California operated the Homestake Mine and was involved in two contest proceedings and a civil penalty proceeding. The Secretary alleged violations of 30 C.F.R. § 48.7(c) and 30 C.F.R. § 57.14205, and the parties later agreed to reduce three proposed penalties. Judge…
Homestake Mining Company of California
Settlement approved and $31,000 in penalties affirmed
Homestake Mining Company of California operated the Homestake Mine and was involved in two contest proceedings and a civil penalty proceeding. The Secretary alleged violations of 30 C.F.R. § 48.7(c) and 30 C.F.R. § 57.14205, and the parties later agreed to reduce three proposed penalties. Judge…
Homestake Mining Company
Settlement approved and $36,000 assessed
Homestake Mining Company was involved in two contest proceedings and a civil penalty proceeding concerning the Homestake Mine and Lead Mine. The parties agreed to a settlement involving an order and two citations issued under 30 C.F.R. § 48.7(c) and 30 C.F.R. § 57.14205. Judge John J. Morris…
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.