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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Secretary of Labor v. Big Ridge, Inc.
Tool-transport safeguard upheld and citation remanded
MSHA cited Big Ridge after mantrips transported miners with bundles of roof bolts, chain hangers, and a bucket of chain. An ALJ vacated the citation after finding that the underlying safeguard did not identify the hazard with enough specificity. The Commission reversed, holding that the safeguard…
Secretary of Labor v. Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal Company
Safeguard validity remanded for mine-specific findings
Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal Company received two citations after miners were observed leaving an elevator with a portable dolly, in alleged violation of a notice to provide safeguard at the Greenwich Collieries No. 2 Mine. The administrative law judge vacated the citations because the safeguard…
Jim Walter Resources, Inc.
Settlement approved and contest dismissed for $1,900
Jim Walter Resources, Inc. faced three violations at the No. 4 Mine involving material transport, roof control, and inspection requirements. The original penalties totaled $2,600, and the parties proposed settlements totaling $1,900. Judge Paul Merlin approved the reductions for 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 When no Commissioner directs review, an ALJ decision becomes a final order that binds the parties in that case but is not binding precedent: under 29 U.S.C. § 661(j) at OSHRC, and after the 40-day window of 30 U.S.C. § 823(d)(1) at FMSHRC.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.