Federal Agency Decisions
Workplace-safety cases from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), mine-safety cases from the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC), and environmental appeals from the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board, 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 American Coal Company
Manufacturer approval marking required for diesel engines
American Coal operated an underground coal mine with diesel-powered personnel carriers whose engines had approval tags fabricated by the operator rather than supplied by the engine manufacturer. The Commission majority held that the approval marking required by 30 C.F.R. § 7.90 had to come from the…
Freeman United Coal Mining Company
Manufacturer approval marking required, penalty remanded
Freeman United used diesel-powered personnel carriers whose approval tags had been fabricated by the operator rather than supplied by the engine manufacturer. The Commission majority reversed the ALJ's decision vacating the citations and held that the approval marking required by 30 C.F.R. § 7.90…
American Coal Company
Diesel engine citations affirmed
American Coal operated the Galatia Mine, an underground coal mine in Illinois, with diesel-powered personnel carriers. MSHA cited two engines because their approval markings were made by the mine rather than supplied by the engine manufacturer, as required by 30 C.F.R. § 7.90. Judge Michael E…
Freeman United Coal Company
Four diesel-equipment citations vacated
Freeman United contested four citations involving approval markings on diesel engines used in nonpermissible mine equipment. The Secretary argued that the markings had to be supplied by the engine manufacturer, while Freeman United had supplied the markings itself. Judge Gary Melick held that the…
What these documents are
- The agencies: Workplace-safety cases from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC), mine-safety cases from the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC), and environmental permit and penalty appeals from the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board (EAB). Each decision page names its agency.
- Commission and Board decisions: Rulings by the agency's highest review level (the Commission at OSHRC and FMSHRC, the Environmental Appeals Board at EPA). These are citable as precedent, though a decision may have been appealed to a U.S. Court of Appeals after issuance.
- ALJ decisions: Rulings by the agency's Administrative Law Judges after a hearing. When no Commissioner directs review, an ALJ decision becomes a final order that binds the parties in that case but is not binding precedent: under 29 U.S.C. § 661(j) at OSHRC, and after the 40-day window of 30 U.S.C. § 823(d)(1) at FMSHRC.
- 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 public release from the deciding agency, and the full text on the page is that release. The plain-English summaries are written by Ezel.