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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Consolidation Coal Company
Methane-explosion citations modified
Consolidation Coal's Blacksville No. 1 Mine experienced a methane explosion that killed four miners and injured two others during a shaft-capping and dewatering project. Judge Gary Melick vacated a citation alleging inadequate ventilation in inactive workings because the Secretary did not prove the…
Consolidation Coal Company
Preshift-examination order modified
MSHA alleged that Consolidation Coal Company failed to conduct and record preshift examinations in a coal-mine tailgate entry where miners were working near water, trip hazards, and unstable roof. Judge Paul Merlin found the failure to conduct a preshift examination was significant and substantial…
Old Ben Coal Company
Coal-accumulation and seal citations dismissed
Old Ben Coal faced citations for coal and oil accumulations on diesel scoops and for the construction of underground seals at two mines. Judge Avram Weisberger held that the scoops were powered by diesel engines and were not electric equipment for purposes of the cited accumulation standard. He…
LJ'S Coal Corporation
Multiple mine-safety violations adjudicated
LJ'S Coal Corporation faced consolidated proceedings involving roof control, accident reporting, fire suppression, dust-control planning, roadway berms, and underground electrical safety at its No. 3 and No. 4 Mines. Judge Avram Weisberger found several serious and significant-and-substantial…
Green River Coal Company, Inc.
Methane and coal-dust findings mixed
Green River Coal operated an underground coal mine with three consolidated dockets. The judge found that methane in a return-air split violated the requirement to reduce methane below one percent and that the operator’s failure to act on a recorded methane reading was unwarrantable. The judge also…
Western Fuels-Utah, Incorporated
Coal dust order affirmed with $950 penalty
MSHA cited Western Fuels-Utah after finding a broad accumulation of coal dust in an underground mine entry. Judge Avram Weisberger held that the operator had not shown an intervening clean inspection that would prevent a section 104(d)(2) order, and that the coal dust violated 30 C.F.R. § 75.400…
Green River Coal Co., Inc.
Mixed rulings on coal, equipment, and penalty proceedings
Green River Coal Company challenged several citations and orders involving its Green River No. 9 Mine, while the Secretary sought civil penalties. The judge dismissed two contest dockets, vacated a citation involving an electrical roof bolter, and found that coal had accumulated along a conveyor…
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.