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. Premier Elkhorn Coal Company
Secretary of Labor v. Premier Elkhorn Coal Company (FMSHRC KENT 2011-827): Settlement on remand cuts a fatal haul truck penalty from $70,000 to $7,500
A coal haulage truck driver was killed on December 12, 2009 when he lost control of a loaded truck descending the haul road at Premier Elkhorn's PE Southern Pike Co. mine. MSHA issued Premier Elkhorn two citations: one under 30 C.F.R. § 77.1607(b) for failure to keep full control of moving mobile…
Secretary of Labor v. Premier Elkhorn Coal Company
Secretary of Labor v. Premier Elkhorn Coal Company (FMSHRC KENT 2011-827): Loss-of-control citation restored, brake citation remains vacated
A contract truck driver was fatally injured after his loaded coal truck lost steering control on a steep road at Premier Elkhorn's surface mine, struck a berm, and overturned. The Judge had vacated citations alleging failure to maintain full control and inadequate brakes because MSHA did not…
Secretary of Labor v. Trivette Trucking
Secretary of Labor v. Trivette Trucking (FMSHRC KENT 2011-1223): Loss-of-control violation stands, brake order remains vacated
A Trivette Trucking driver was fatally injured after his loaded coal truck lost steering control on a steep mine haul road, struck a berm, and overturned. MSHA issued orders alleging failure to maintain full control of moving equipment and failure to maintain adequate brakes. The Judge affirmed the…
Clintwood Elkhorn Mining Company, Inc. v. Secretary of Labor
Clintwood Elkhorn Mining Company, Inc. v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC KENT 2011-0041 R, et al.): Runaway-truck citation reduced to section 104(a)
A contract haul-truck driver lost control on Clintwood's steep haul road after the truck ran out of fuel, crossed the preparation plant access road, and overturned near a 30-foot drop. The Commission had already held that Clintwood violated the full-control standard and remanded for gravity…
Secretary of Labor v. Four Star Resources, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Four Star Resources, LLC (FMSHRC KENT 2012-772): loss-of-control citation upheld with $52,500 penalty
A loaded Caterpillar 777 dump truck lost control on Four Star Resources' steep, wet haul road, crossed a low berm, traveled 84 feet down an embankment, and stopped against a tree. The driver was not injured, but the truck was extensively damaged. Four Star admitted violating the mobile-equipment…
Secretary of Labor v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises, Inc. (FMSHRC KENT 2012-1031, et al.): Two haul-road control citations vacated
MSHA cited Nally & Hamilton twice under a mobile-equipment control standard after an inspector drove his own vehicle on muddy haul roads and experienced sliding. Judge William S. Steele found that the standard prohibits operating equipment without full control, but the inspector did not observe the…
Secretary of Labor v. Trivette Trucking
Secretary of Labor v. Trivette Trucking (FMSHRC KENT 2011-1223): Loss-of-control citation reduced and brake order vacated
A Trivette Trucking driver was fatally injured after his loaded coal truck left a steep mine haul road and overturned. MSHA alleged that the truck was overloaded, that the driver failed to maintain control, and that defective brakes were inadequate, seeking $140,000 for two violations. Judge…
Clintwood Elkhorn Mining Company, Inc. v. Secretary of Labor
Clintwood Elkhorn Mining Company, Inc. v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC KENT 2011-40-R, et al.): Loss-of-control citation reinstated
A loaded haul truck lost its brakes on a steep mine road, crashed through a berm and utility pole, and rolled onto its side near a 30-foot drop. The ALJ vacated the loss-of-control citation because the condition no longer existed when cited and because MSHA did not prove the truck was overloaded…
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.