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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Elk Run Coal Company v. Secretary of Labor
Elk Run Coal Company v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC WEVA 2013-1298-R): Safeguard challenge allowed before later citation
Elk Run Coal challenged a safeguard requiring controls for mud, ledges, and water in mine travelways before MSHA issued a later citation or order under that safeguard. The Secretary argued that the Commission lacked jurisdiction until a violation was cited. Judge William S. Steele held that the…
Secretary of Labor v. Oak Grove Resources, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Oak Grove Resources, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2009-261-R et al.): Safeguard against pushing cars was valid
A miner was fatally pinned while a 24-ton shearer body was being moved along Oak Grove's main haulage road. MSHA cited the mine under a safeguard that prohibited pushing cars on main haulage roads except in a limited situation. The judge vacated the citation after finding that the safeguard did not…
The American Coal Company
The American Coal Company (FMSHRC LAKE 2007-139): Twelve safeguards upheld and one invalidated
American Coal challenged the facial validity of thirteen mine-specific safeguards governing underground transportation conditions at its Galatia mine. The Commission held that a safeguard identifies the nature of a hazard when it describes a hazardous condition, and it need not list every possible…
Dickenson-Russell Coal Co., LLC
Dickenson-Russell Coal Co., LLC (FMSHRC VA 2008-393): Mantrip sander violations affirmed with penalty reduced to $750
MSHA cited three nine-passenger diesel mantrips at Dickenson-Russell Coal's Cherokee Mine because their sanding devices contained wet sand and did not work. The mine had recently been inundated, but the mantrips were parked on track in ready-for-use positions and had not been tagged out of service…
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.