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. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2015-339): Three citations vacated and guarding penalty reduced
Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company settled 16 of 20 citations from its Bailey Mine and tried four involving rock dust, two conveyor-guarding conditions, and an allegedly obstructed escapeway. The Judge vacated the rock-dust citation because the Secretary did not prove that the noncompliant sample was…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2015-339): Original mixed citation ruling
This is the original release of the Bailey Mine decision that vacated three citations and modified a fourth guarding citation to non-S&S with low negligence and a $150 penalty. The Judge found that MSHA had not reliably established the location of a rock-dust sample, that an unlatched area-guarding…
Secretary of Labor v. Kenamerican Resources, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Kenamerican Resources, Inc. (FMSHRC KENT 2014-753): Lifeline and conveyor-guard violations affirmed
MSHA cited KenAmerican Resources for two escapeway lifelines hung alongside similarly sized communications and tracking cables and for hog-wire guarding above a moving conveyor tail roller. Judge Alan G. Paez found that the lifeline arrangements could confuse miners and delay escape during an…
Secretary of Labor v. Marfork Coal Company, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Marfork Coal Company, Inc. (FMSHRC WEVA 2014-374): Unguarded conveyor shaft violation affirmed and settlement approved
At Marfork's Allen Powellton Mine, an inspector found that a loose rubber guard did not fully cover a rotating shaft at a conveyor tail pulley. Judge Margaret A. Miller held that the condition violated 30 C.F.R. § 75.1722(b) because miners cleaned the area every shift while the belt ran and could…
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.