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. Original Sixteen to One Mine, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Original Sixteen to One Mine, Inc. (FMSHRC WEST 2015-850 M): Eleven violations upheld and nine dismissed
Original Sixteen to One Mine, Inc., an underground gold operator, challenged 22 citations involving its Sixteen to One and Plumbago mines across seven dockets. Judge William B. Moran held that Plumbago was a mine under the Mine Act and rejected the operator's claim that the proposed penalties would…
Newmont USA, Limited v. Secretary of Labor
Newmont USA, Limited v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC WEST 2010-1584 M, et al.): Unventilated-heading barricade penalty set at $20,000
Newmont failed to install adequate barricades and warning signs at unventilated headings in its Midas Mine after shutting down auxiliary fans and tying off ventilation bags. The Commission had affirmed the violation, reversed the ALJ's S&S finding, and returned the unwarrantable-failure and penalty…
Secretary of Labor v. The Silver Queen Mine, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. The Silver Queen Mine, LLC (FMSHRC WEST 2015-448-M, et al.): Sixteen citations resolved with $4,960 total penalty
MSHA issued sixteen citations during inspections of the small Silver Queen underground silver mine. Judge Richard W. Manning rejected the operator's argument that the Mine Act capped the number of inspections at the statutory minimum, explaining that section 103(a) requires at least four annual…
Secretary of Labor v. Newmont USA Limited
Secretary of Labor v. Newmont USA Limited (FMSHRC WEST 2010-652-RM, WEST 2010-1584-M): Barricade violation affirmed, S&S finding vacated
Newmont shut off an auxiliary fan and tied off ventilation bags in two headings at its Midas gold mine, leaving ropes and signs stating that a heading inspection was required. The Commission affirmed that the headings were unventilated and that ropes and signs that did not prohibit entry failed to…
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.