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.
No decisions match these filters
Try a different search term or clear the filters.
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2015-339): Three citations vacated and guarding penalty reduced
Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company settled 16 of 20 citations from its Bailey Mine and tried four involving rock dust, two conveyor-guarding conditions, and an allegedly obstructed escapeway. The Judge vacated the rock-dust citation because the Secretary did not prove that the noncompliant sample was…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2015-339): Original mixed citation ruling
This is the original release of the Bailey Mine decision that vacated three citations and modified a fourth guarding citation to non-S&S with low negligence and a $150 penalty. The Judge found that MSHA had not reliably established the location of a rock-dust sample, that an unlatched area-guarding…
Secretary of Labor v. Consolidation Coal Company
Secretary of Labor v. Consolidation Coal Company (FMSHRC WEVA 2015-36): Thirty citations settled for $48,000
MSHA and Consolidation Coal Company settled 30 citations involving conditions at the Robinson Run No. 95 Mine. The settlement vacated Citation 8058726 and modified the negligence, gravity, injury, or affected-person findings for several other citations. The cited conditions included combustible…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Co., LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Co., LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2016-132): Uncertain sample location defeated rock-dust citation
MSHA cited Consol Pennsylvania Coal after a sample from the Harvey Mine contained less incombustible material than the rock-dust standard required. The standard did not require rock dusting within 40 feet of the working face, so the sample's location determined whether a violation existed. The…
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. Tri County Coal, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Tri County Coal, LLC (FMSHRC LAKE 2011-309): Seven violations bring $8,853 penalty
MSHA cited Tri County Coal for roof-bolter dust-collection defects, inaccurate escapeway maps, failure to follow the roof-control plan, inadequate rock dust, and defective trailing-cable splices. Judge L. Zane Gill affirmed all seven litigated violations. He removed the S&S designations from two…
Big Ridge, Inc. v. Secretary of Labor
Big Ridge, Inc. v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC LAKE 2012-453-R, et al.): Mixed rulings and $309,376 total penalty
Big Ridge operated the Willow Lake Portal underground bituminous coal mine in Illinois. The consolidated cases involved roof control, combustible accumulations, ventilation controls, belt alignment, and pre-shift examinations, along with the operator's right to accompany MSHA inspectors. Judge…
Secretary of Labor v. Big Ridge, Inc. (amended)
Secretary of Labor v. Big Ridge, Inc. (FMSHRC LAKE 2013-66, et al.): Eight litigated violations resolved and 25 others settled
Big Ridge operated the underground Willow Lake Portal coal mine, where MSHA issued 33 contested violations with proposed penalties totaling $801,018. The parties settled 25 violations for $296,571, while Judge David P. Simonton decided eight after a hearing. He affirmed several accumulation…
Secretary of Labor v. Black Beauty Coal Company
Secretary of Labor v. Black Beauty Coal Company (FMSHRC LAKE 2010-39, et al.): Three violations vacated and four modified
Black Beauty Coal Company contested seven enforcement actions at the Air Quality #1 Mine. Judge Richard W. Manning vacated a muddy-travelway citation because MSHA did not prove that less than 24 inches remained clear, and vacated two seal-examination orders because the cited flooding was not shown…
Jim Walter Resources, Inc.
Jim Walter Resources, Inc. (FMSHRC SE 2008-406): Combustible accumulations affirmed after scoop fire
MSHA cited Jim Walter Resources after a scoop-battery fire and after an inspector found float coal dust on energized components inside a transformer. The operator argued that laboratory samples showed the accumulated material contained enough rock dust to be noncombustible. Judge Jacqueline R…
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.