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. Prospect Mining and Development Company, Inc.
Missing roof-bolt warning drew no negligence, unexamined charger drew high
MSHA cited Prospect Mining's Carbon Hill Mine in two separate dockets, and Judge Thomas P. McCarthy heard both together under simplified proceedings. The first citation alleged that the last row of roof support bolts was not marked with a visible warning as 30 C.F.R. § 75.208 requires. The judge…
Black Beauty Coal Company
Belt hazards upheld, examination and roof-plan citations vacated
Black Beauty Coal contested seven violations at its underground Air Quality #1 mine and settled the remaining violations in three dockets. Judge Margaret A. Miller upheld two unwarrantable belt-accumulation orders and assessed $70,000 for each because combustible material was running in or near…
Centre Crown Mining, LLC
Sixty citations resolved for $37,069
The case resolved 60 citations issued at Centre Crown's underground Crown III Mine, including hazards involving conveyor belts, ventilation controls, parking brakes, roof support, and the mine's approved plans. The judge approved a settlement of 44 citations for $14,641 and decided 16 more after a…
Williams Brothers Coal Co., Inc.
Six citations affirmed, three vacated, and $501 penalty assessed
MSHA charged Williams Brothers Coal Company with ten violations at its underground No. 3 Mine involving fire-fighting equipment, roof control, ventilation, electrical equipment, and other safety conditions. Judge Jerold Feldman affirmed six citations, vacated three, and ordered the company to pay…
Martin Sales & Processing
Summary default decision later vacated
Martin Sales & Processing failed to answer the Secretary's discovery requests and did not comply with orders directing it to respond. Judge George A. Koutras found the operator in default and entered summary default judgment for the Secretary on four consolidated dockets. The order directed…
Virginia Crews Coal Company
Three violations modified and affirmed
Virginia Crews Coal Company operated the No. 14 Mine and contested three alleged violations in two penalty proceedings. The ALJ found the violations established, but modified the first two from section 104(d)(1) matters to section 104(a) citations and modified the third to a section 104(a)…
Ramblin Coal Company, Inc.
Multiple mine-safety violations affirmed with $1,812 in penalties
Ramblin Coal Company operated Mine No. 8, a small coal mine employing about 20 people. Judge William Fauver found violations involving rock dust, electrical equipment, mine-road guarding, cutting-machine guarding, battery chargers, permissible equipment, compressed-gas cylinders, examination…
Old Ben Coal Company
Citations split, settlements approved, and $690 penalty ordered
Old Ben Coal Company faced 13 consolidated civil penalty dockets involving its Nos. 24, 25, and 26 mines. Judge Avram Weisberger found some violations, amended several citations to remove significant-and-substantial findings, vacated other citations, and dismissed three dockets. He also approved…
Day Branch Coal Company Inc.
Roof and fire-suppression violations affirmed
Day Branch Coal Company operated an underground coal mine. MSHA alleged that miners traveled under unsupported roof, warning devices were missing, roof supports did not follow the mine plan, roof bolts were damaged, and a conveyor-belt fire-suppression system was inoperative. The judge found 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.