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. Rulon Harper Construction, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Rulon Harper Construction, Inc. (FMSHRC WEST 2022-0249): Unsupported settlement reductions rejected
The Secretary and Rulon proposed settlements covering ten citations and orders, with large reductions in gravity, negligence, significant-and-substantial designations, and penalties. The proposed total penalties would have fallen from $22,944 to $3,936 in one docket and from $22,134 to $7,227 in…
Cactus Canyon Quarries, Inc. v. Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Labor v. Cactus Canyon Quarries, Inc.
Cactus Canyon Quarries, Inc. v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC CENT 2023-0045): Mine jurisdiction upheld and citations split
Cactus Canyon challenged MSHA's authority over its Fairland stone-processing plant and the related Clendennen Ranch quarry. The judge held that the plant performed milling and that both facilities were mines covered by the Mine Act. Of ten citations, he vacated four, affirmed three as issued, and…
Secretary of Labor v. Rulon Harper Construction, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Rulon Harper Construction, Inc. (FMSHRC WEST 2022-0250): Berm and parking-brake settlement reductions rejected
Rulon Harper Construction operated a sand-and-gravel pit near Salt Lake City where MSHA issued eight citations, including four for missing or deficient berms and one for a parking brake that would not hold a truck on a grade. The parties proposed reducing the combined penalties from $22,134 to…
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review, an ALJ decision becomes a final order under 29 U.S.C. § 661(j): it binds the parties in that case but is not binding precedent in other cases.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.