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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D & H Gravel
Three citations vacated and penalties reduced to $500
D & H Gravel was a very small, seasonal sand-and-gravel quarry with one part-time miner when MSHA issued 21 citations and one training withdrawal order during its first inspection. The owner said he did not know the Mine Act applied, but the judge explained that mine operators are strictly liable…
John Richards Construction
21 citations resolved with $3,350 penalty
John Richards Construction operated a very small sand and gravel pit with a crushing plant and two employees. MSHA alleged 21 violations involving guarding, mine operations, firefighting equipment, electrical protection, and communications, with proposed penalties totaling $19,073. Judge Richard W…
Bob Bak Construction
Mine safety violations affirmed with penalties reduced
Bob Bak Construction operated a sand and gravel mine in South Dakota. After three inspections, MSHA issued 24 citations and orders involving defective mobile equipment, missing guards and electrical protections, inadequate emergency facilities, and violations of closure and imminent-danger orders…
Southway Construction Company, Incorporated
Communication-system citation affirmed for $138
Southway Construction Company, Incorporated operated a crushing operation at the Goat Ridge Mine, which was owned by another company. MSHA cited Southway for failing to provide a suitable emergency communication system. Judge John J. Morris found that Southway was an operator because it controlled…
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.