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. Magorian Mine Services
Secretary of Labor v. Magorian Mine Services (FMSHRC WEST 2016-270 M, WEST 2016-445 M): Mixed ruling on ground support, fall protection, and safe access
Magorian Mine Services was an independent contractor performing development work at the Pinson underground gold mine in Nevada. Judge Richard W. Manning affirmed an S&S ground-support citation because the company used inadequate support in unstable ground and allowed miners to travel through the…
Secretary of Labor v. Conveyor Belt Services, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Conveyor Belt Services, Inc. (FMSHRC LAKE 2014-255, et al.): Conveyor belt used for splicing was a working platform
Conveyor Belt Services employees spliced a belt at U.S. Steel's Minntac Mine while standing or kneeling on the belt and a temporary ladder, toolbox, and plywood structure about 51 to 55 inches above the floor. Neither surface had handrails, and the employees used no fall protection during work…
Secretary of Labor v. Uehlin Quarry
Secretary of Labor v. Uehlin Quarry (FMSHRC CENT 2011-1129-M): Seven violations upheld and $20,124 assessed after crusher accident
A Uehlin Quarry truck driver was permanently paralyzed after a steel pry bar struck him while miners cleared a rock jam with the crusher's impeller still running. Judge L. Zane Gill upheld seven violations involving powered-equipment maintenance, fall protection, machine guarding, an unprotected…
Secretary of Labor v. The Doe Run Company
Secretary of Labor v. The Doe Run Company (FMSHRC CENT 2013-605-M): Untied electrician brings $2,106 penalty
The Doe Run Company operated the Buick Mine/Mill, which mined lead, copper, and zinc in Missouri. An electrician climbed onto a cabinet more than seven feet above a concrete floor in a darkened electrical room without fall protection while preparing to pull cable. Judge Margaret A. Miller rejected…
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.