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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The Doe Run Company v. Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Labor v. The Doe Run Company
The Doe Run Company v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC CENT 2016-283 RM, et al.): Amended escapeway settlement preserves one penalty docket
MSHA cited five Doe Run mines under 30 C.F.R. § 57.11050(a), alleging that two escapeways were not provided from all working areas. Doe Run argued that the two-escapeway requirement applied only to the mines' lowest levels, and the parties completed a four-day trial before settling. Under the…
The Doe Run Company v. Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Labor v. The Doe Run Company
The Doe Run Company v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC CENT 2016-283 RM, et al.): Original escapeway settlement later corrected
MSHA cited five Doe Run mines under 30 C.F.R. § 57.11050(a), alleging that two escapeways were not provided from all working areas. Doe Run argued that the requirement applied only to the mines' lowest levels, and the parties completed a four-day trial before reaching a comprehensive settlement…
Secretary of Labor v. Small Mine Development
Secretary of Labor v. Small Mine Development (FMSHRC WEST 2011-1351-M, WEST 2011-1153-RM): Refuge required with sole exploration escapeway
Small Mine Development advanced an exploratory decline about 1,000 feet with only one escapeway and had not installed the refuge chamber positioned outside the portal. A Commission majority held that 30 C.F.R. § 57.11050(a) is ambiguous about refuge requirements when exploration or development…
Wisconsin Industrial Sand Co. v. Secretary of Labor
Wisconsin Industrial Sand Co. v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC LAKE 2014-692-M): Expedited hearing denied for abated citation
Wisconsin Industrial Sand contested an escapeway citation and requested an expedited hearing because it viewed abatement as expensive or unnecessary and believed MSHA may have abused its discretion. Judge Thomas P. McCarthy found no extraordinary or unique circumstances requiring faster treatment…
Secretary of Labor v. Original Sixteen to One Mine, Incorporated
Secretary of Labor v. Original Sixteen to One Mine, Incorporated (FMSHRC WEST 2011-119-M, et al.): Twenty citations affirmed or modified and $2,113 assessed
MSHA brought 22 citations against the Sixteen to One underground gold mine for conditions involving fire protection, escapeways, grinders, housekeeping, chemical labels, electrical equipment, evacuation drills, noise, vegetation near fuel storage, road berms, an open hole, and related safety…
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.