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. Oil Dri Production Company
Secretary of Labor v. Oil Dri Production Company (FMSHRC SE 2013-507 M, et al.): Four plant-safety citations upheld for $15,200
Oil Dri Production Company litigated five citations from its Ripley Mine and Mill after settling seven others. Judge L. Zane Gill vacated a fire-hazard citation because MSHA did not prove that accumulated waste had an ignition source. He affirmed a $100 housekeeping violation and three…
Hecla Limited v. Secretary of Labor; Secretary of Labor v. Cementation USA, Inc.; Secretary of Labor v. Hecla Limited
Hecla Limited v. Secretary of Labor; Secretary of Labor v. Cementation USA, Inc.; Secretary of Labor v. Hecla Limited (FMSHRC WEST 2012-631-M, et al.): Fire-hazard order and citation vacated
An arsonist set fire to a waste pile in Hecla's underground Lucky Friday Mine, prompting MSHA to cite Hecla and contractor Cementation for allowing waste to accumulate in quantities that could create a fire hazard. The mine was safely evacuated, and no one was injured. Judge L. Zane Gill found that…
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review, an ALJ decision becomes a final order under 29 U.S.C. § 661(j): it binds the parties in that case but is not binding precedent in other cases.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.