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. Knight Hawk Coal, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Knight Hawk Coal, LLC (FMSHRC LAKE 2014-121 R, et al.): High negligence and unwarrantable failure affirmed after red zone fatality
A continuous mining machine operator at Knight Hawk's Prairie Eagle South Mine in Illinois was fatally crushed in February 2013 after entering the machine's red zone, the pinch point area where the equipment can strike a miner. MSHA cited the company for violating its approved roof control plan…
Secretary of Labor v. Leeco Incorporated
Secretary of Labor v. Leeco Incorporated (FMSHRC KENT 2012-166): Penalty cut to $4,500 on remand after Commission found no negligence
A continuous mining machine operator at Leeco's No. 68 Mine was fatally pinned against the rib in June 2010 after entering the machine's red zone, two months after the mine superintendent had counseled him about operating too close to that zone. Leeco stipulated to the violation of its roof control…
Secretary of Labor v. Leeco, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Leeco, Inc. (FMSHRC KENT 2012-166): Prior counseling did not prove operator negligence
A continuous-miner operator at Leeco's No. 68 Mine was fatally pinned after entering a red-zone pinch point while trying to free the machine. Leeco stipulated that the accident involved an S&S violation of its roof control plan, leaving negligence and the penalty as the disputed issues. The Judge…
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review, an ALJ decision becomes a final order under 29 U.S.C. § 661(j): it binds the parties in that case but is not binding precedent in other cases.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.