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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Jim Walter Resources, Inc.
Settlement approved after No. 5 Mine explosion cases
Jim Walter Resources operated the No. 5 Mine, where two explosions killed 13 miners and seriously injured three others. MSHA sought penalties for 310 alleged violations in 17 consolidated proceedings, although the decision states that none of the alleged violations was claimed to have caused the…
Hamilton Pipeline, Inc.
Mixed result on crusher safety citations and penalties
Hamilton Pipeline operated a portable crusher and related equipment that produced crushed stone for highway and paving projects. During an August 2000 inspection, MSHA issued citations involving machine guarding, access steps, workplace-examination records, and grounding-test records. The ALJ found…
M A G Incorporated
Settlements totaling $21,000 approved across 14 dockets
M A G Incorporated contested 54 alleged safety and health violations across 14 dockets at Alloy Deep Mine No. 2. The parties reported that the operator was a small mine with poor financial condition, that no accidents or injuries resulted from the cited conditions, and that all conditions were…
Eastern Associated Coal Corporation
Companion withdrawal orders upheld
Eastern Associated Coal operated the Federal No. 2 surface coal mine in West Virginia. MSHA issued an imminent-danger withdrawal order under section 107(a) and a section 104(d)(2) withdrawal order for the same unguarded conveyor tail roller, where miners had cleaned spillage while the belt was…
Cyprus Emerald Resources Corporation
Mixed ruling on safety citations, orders, and penalties
Cyprus Emerald Resources operated the Emerald No. 1 coal mine, where MSHA cited walkway hazards, equipment conditions, and dozer operations around coal feeders. Judge George A. Koutras found a violation involving obstructions in a travelway, modified the related order to a section 104(a) citation…
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.