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. Canyon Fuel Company, LLC, Shane Allred, and Michael Cooper
Secretary of Labor v. Canyon Fuel Company, LLC, Shane Allred, and Michael Cooper (FMSHRC WEST 2021-0229): Rib and accident-reporting orders upheld
A rib burst at Canyon Fuel's underground coal mine partially buried a miner, caused a traumatic head injury, and required surgery, but mine management did not notify MSHA within 15 minutes. The Commission affirmed violations for inadequate rib control and failure to report an injury with a…
Secretary of Labor v. Geneva Rock Products, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Geneva Rock Products, Inc. (FMSHRC WEST 2022-0097): Indefinite criminal-investigation stay was vacated
This penalty case followed a fatal ground-collapse accident involving a haul truck at Geneva Rock's Hansen Pit, with MSHA proposing $381,500 for one citation and three orders. The ALJ stayed the civil case indefinitely while the Department of Justice considered a parallel criminal investigation…
Secretary of Labor v. Roger J. Rohloff, employed by Daanen & Janssen, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Roger J. Rohloff, employed by Daanen & Janssen, Inc. (FMSHRC LAKE 2024-0014): Unserved individual assessment held nonfinal
MSHA assessed an individual penalty against Roger Rohloff under section 110(c) after a rock-fall investigation. The certified mailing was returned unclaimed, even though an MSHA representative had agreed to send all correspondence for Rohloff to his counsel. Rohloff and his counsel learned of the…
Secretary of Labor v Kevin Coleman, formerly employed by Carmeuse Lime
Secretary of Labor v Kevin Coleman, formerly employed by Carmeuse Lime (FMSHRC SE 2024-0135): Assessment sent to abandoned mine held nonfinal
MSHA proposed an individual penalty against former mine supervisor Kevin Coleman under section 110(c). MSHA had been told to send case materials to Coleman's counsel, but it mailed the assessment to a mine that was closed and listed as abandoned. The Postal Service returned the assessment, and MSHA…
Secretary of Labor v. Northshore Mining Company and Matthew Zimmer, Roger Peterson employed by Northshore Mining Company
Secretary of Labor v. Northshore Mining Company, et al. (FMSHRC LAKE 2017-0224): Flagrant walkway penalty increased on remand
An earlier judge found that Northshore failed to maintain elevated walkways, acted with reckless disregard and unwarrantable failure, and assessed a $60,000 penalty after rejecting MSHA's flagrant designation. The Commission affirmed, but the Eighth Circuit held that the violation was flagrant and…
Secretary of Labor v. Northshore Mining Company, Roger Peterson, and Matthew Zimmer
Secretary of Labor v. Northshore Mining Company (FMSHRC LAKE 2017-0248): Court mandate sent flagrant penalty back for reassessment
The Commission had previously upheld reckless-disregard and unwarrantable-failure findings, deleted a flagrant designation, and rejected individual liability for two Northshore Mining employees. The Eighth Circuit reversed the Commission on the flagrant and individual-liability issues. Its mandate…
Secretary of Labor v. Morton Salt, Inc. & Quinn Norwood
Secretary of Labor v. Morton Salt and Quinn Norwood (FMSHRC CENT 2022-0135): Blasting violation and individual liability affirmed
Morton Salt initiated three explosive rounds at its underground Weeks Island salt mine while four contractors remained underground and their tags still showed them in the mine. The judge affirmed a violation of 30 C.F.R. § 57.22601(a), finding that the incident was significant and substantial…
Secretary of Labor v. Geneva Rock Products, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Geneva Rock Products, Inc. (FMSHRC WEST 2022-0097): Review granted on indefinite criminal-investigation stay
Potential individual and criminal Mine Act violations in the Geneva Rock case had been referred to the Department of Justice. The ALJ stayed the civil proceeding indefinitely while the criminal investigation and any later proceedings remained pending. The Commission granted the Secretary's request…
Secretary of Labor v. Canyon Fuel Company, LLC, et al.
Secretary of Labor v. Canyon Fuel Company, LLC, et al. (FMSHRC WEST 2021-0188): Rib and accident-reporting orders affirmed
A rib burst at Canyon Fuel's Skyline Mine #3 knocked a miner into equipment, buried him in coal, fractured his skull, and caused other serious injuries. The Judge affirmed an S&S rib-control violation but reduced negligence to moderate, removed the unwarrantable-failure designation, and assessed…
Secretary of Labor v. Geneva Rock Products, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Geneva Rock Products, Inc. (FMSHRC WEST 2022-0097): Seven-month stay lifted despite possible criminal investigation
MSHA issued four violations after investigating a fatal accident at Geneva Rock's Hansen Pit, and the civil penalty case was stayed while possible individual and criminal investigations remained unresolved. After seven months, the Secretary moved to lift the stay because MSHA would not pursue…
Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Midwest Mining, LLC and Secretary of Labor v. Michael Butler
Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Midwest Mining, LLC and Michael Butler (FMSHRC LAKE 2019-0023): Energized drilling in high methane affirmed
A drill breached old mine workings at Peabody's Francisco Mine, releasing methane that repeatedly exceeded the drill's two-percent shutdown point and registered at least five percent on personal detectors. Mine manager Michael Butler allowed miners to keep an energized drill operating for about…
Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Midwest Mining, LLC and Secretary of Labor v. Michael Butler, employed by Peabody Midwest Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Midwest Mining, LLC and Michael Butler (FMSHRC LAKE 2019-0361): Methane orders affirmed and examination order modified
A contractor's drill breached old mine workings at Peabody Midwest Mining's Francisco Mine and released methane that repeatedly registered above five percent. Mine manager Michael Butler allowed six miners to continue pulling drill rods with the drill energized for at least 30 minutes despite the…
Secretary of Labor v. Northshore Mining Company, Roger Peterson, employed by Northshore Mining Company, and Matthew Zimmer, employed by Northshore Mining Company
Secretary of Labor v. Northshore Mining Company (FMSHRC LAKE 2017-0248): Walkway violations affirmed, individual penalties vacated
Northshore received an engineering report stating that deteriorated outer conveyor walkways were unsafe for personnel until repaired, but the company relied on fall protection and did not repair or barricade the walkways. During a cleanup job, a structural member failed and part of an elevated…
Secretary of Labor v. William Tackitt
Secretary of Labor v. William Tackitt (FMSHRC LAKE 2020-0083): Mine closure and individual-assessment confusion supported reopening
William Tackitt received an individual penalty assessment under section 110(c) while the mine that employed him was closed. The mine had a reliable contest procedure but was unfamiliar with individual assessments and had already contested the related assessments issued against the operator. Counsel…
Secretary of Labor v. James C. Scott and Donnie B. Thomas, employed by Mill Branch Coal Corp.
Secretary of Labor v. James C. Scott and Donnie B. Thomas (FMSHRC VA 2018-0103, VA 2018-0104): Delayed agent-penalty cases remanded
MSHA sought individual penalties against a mine superintendent and shift foreman for allegedly failing to report a dangerous water inundation within 15 minutes. The agency proposed penalties of $4,000 and $3,500 about three years after the event, but only eight days after its special investigations…
Secretary of Labor v. Hoover Excavating & Trucking, Inc., and its successors and Secretary of Labor v. Reginald S. Hoover, employed by Hoover Excavating & Trucking, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Hoover Excavating & Trucking, Inc. and Reginald S. Hoover (FMSHRC WEST 2019-0277): Blasting violations and agent liability affirmed
A blast detonated prematurely at Hoover Excavating's surface stone mine while eight miners remained in the pit area, and three miners were seriously injured by flyrock and debris. Judge Margaret A. Miller found that mine owner Reginald Hoover ignored the initiating device's warning not to connect…
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.