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 2015-41, et al.): Hoist violations and settlement resolved for $10,500
A newly commissioned slope hoist struck its sheave wheel after its automatic stopping systems failed, and Consol did not promptly report the accident or record required daily hoist examinations. Judge John Kent Lewis affirmed a high-negligence reporting citation, a low-negligence automatic-stop…
Secretary of Labor v. Alden Resources, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Alden Resources, LLC (FMSHRC KENT 2013-960): Fan, lifeline, examination, and dust violations bring $8,262
MSHA issued five citations at Alden Resources' low-seam underground coal mine after a rock-fall cleanup and later inspections. Judge Thomas P. McCarthy affirmed an S&S violation for failing to reactivate an automatic signal on a ventilation fan, assessing $1,026, but vacated a related recordkeeping…
Secretary of Labor v. The American Coal Company
Secretary of Labor v. The American Coal Company (FMSHRC LAKE 2008-666, et al.): Five orders modified and flagrant findings removed
MSHA alleged five serious violations at American Coal's large, methane-liberating Galatia Mine involving energized electrical work, unsupported roof and ribs, inadequate preshift and on-shift examinations, and extensive belt-line combustible accumulations. Senior Judge Michael E. Zielinski upheld…
Secretary of Labor v. Alden Resources, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Alden Resources, LLC (FMSHRC KENT 2013-959, et al.): Lifeline examination dispute required a hearing
Alden Resources asked for summary decision on a citation alleging an inadequate preshift examination after a mine lifeline remained defective and incomplete for nine days. The operator argued that the examination rule covered methane, oxygen, airflow, and specified mandatory standards, but not the…
Secretary of Labor v. Highland Mining Company LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Highland Mining Company LLC (FMSHRC KENT 2011-97): Four belt and noise violations upheld
Highland Mining contested four citations involving its No. 4 unit, conceding two underlying violations but disputing their gravity and negligence. Judge William B. Moran upheld an S&S citation for a misaligned conveyor belt rubbing six warm frames and an S&S noise citation after a continuous-miner…
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.