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. Armstrong Coal Company, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Armstrong Coal Company, Inc. (FMSHRC KENT 2015-125): Fifth-hour dust examination order affirmed
Armstrong Coal's Parkway Mine was required by its ventilation plan to perform additional respirable-dust parameter checks during the fifth hour of each production shift. During an impact inspection, MSHA found that the checks had not been completed on either mechanized mining unit and issued a…
Secretary of Labor v. River View Coal, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. River View Coal, LLC (FMSHRC KENT 2014-782): Signing off a dust exam before the dust box was opened is high negligence, not unwarrantable failure
An MSHA inspector at River View Mine in Kentucky checked a roof bolting machine whose on-shift respirable dust examination had already been certified complete on the board underground. Opening the dust collection box, he found a damaged filter and rock drill dust on the clean side of both filters…
Secretary of Labor v. GMS Mine Repair
Secretary of Labor v. GMS Mine Repair (FMSHRC LAKE 2014-27, et al.): Four S&S citations affirmed
GMS Mine Repair provided underground maintenance and contracting services at the Lively Grove Mine. MSHA issued four citations after finding loose roof-bolter dust filters and silica-bearing dust beyond the filters, an inadequate on-shift examination that missed those conditions, a damaged 995-volt…
Secretary of Labor v. Bardo Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Bardo Mining, LLC (FMSHRC KENT 2008-570): Roof, dust-control, and guarding citations affirmed
MSHA cited Bardo Mining for loose and deteriorating roof, failure to set automatic temporary roof supports firmly against the roof, inadequate dust-control examinations and water sprays, and exposed moving machine parts. Judge Richard L. Sippel affirmed all nine litigated citations and their S&S…
Secretary of Labor v. West Ridge Resources, Incorporated
Secretary of Labor v. West Ridge Resources, Incorporated (FMSHRC WEST 2013-232, WEST 2013-722): Missed scrubber check brings $30,000 penalty
West Ridge Resources operated an underground coal mine where a crew cut 30 feet before completing the required scrubber-velocity check on a continuous miner. Judge Jacqueline R. Bulluck credited the MSHA inspector's account and found that the foreman's instruction to start mining violated 30 C.F.R…
Secretary of Labor v. ICG Hazard, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. ICG Hazard, LLC (FMSHRC KENT 2009-951, et al.): Unwarrantable designation removed and penalty capped at $70,000
Two orders involving missing water sprays and inadequate water pressure on continuous miners remained under review. For Order No. 8315597, the ALJ affirmed unwarrantable failure without analyzing all relevant factors, and the Secretary effectively conceded that the record did not prove aggravated…
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.