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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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…
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review, an ALJ decision becomes a final order under 29 U.S.C. § 661(j): it binds the parties in that case but is not binding precedent in other cases.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.