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. Phoenix Industrial Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Phoenix Industrial Inc. (FMSHRC WEST 2025-0068): Default vacated and penalty case reopened
Phoenix Industrial asked the Commission to reopen a civil penalty case after an unanswered show-cause order became a default. Phoenix said it had mailed an answer at the start of the case, stayed in contact with the Secretary's representative, and did not recognize later email notices as applying…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Brek Pinkerton v. RMC Mining Development, LLC, et al.
Secretary of Labor on behalf of Brek Pinkerton v. RMC Mining Development, LLC, et al. (FMSHRC WEST 2024-0114): Default reopening denied
Matthew Head asked the Commission to reopen a default decision finding Mine Act discrimination and imposing a $30,000 civil penalty plus $88,497 in damages. He argued that he missed notices sent to an old business email, misunderstood which respondent would handle the case, and believed parts of…
Secretary of Labor v. Stillwater Mining Company
Secretary of Labor v. Stillwater Mining Company (FMSHRC WEST 2025-0254): Docketing-error default reopened
Stillwater was defaulted after the Commission had no record of an answer to an order to show cause. The company produced postal tracking records showing that it timely mailed an answer but had omitted the docket number, which may have prevented proper docketing. It moved to reopen within two weeks…
Secretary of Labor v. Hoopers Creek Stone, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Hoopers Creek Stone, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2025-0153): Unexplained default request denied
Hoopers Creek failed to answer the Secretary's penalty petition and then did not respond to an order to show cause, causing the Judge's default order to become final. The company later submitted a late answer that the Commission treated as a possible request to reopen. The filing did not explain…
Secretary of Labor v. Material Sand & Stone Corp.
Secretary of Labor v. Material Sand & Stone Corp. (FMSHRC YORK 2025-0043): Two unexplained defaults left in place
Material Sand & Stone defaulted in two penalty cases after failing to answer the Secretary's petitions and the Commission's orders to show cause. The company generally asserted that it had not received some petitions or show-cause orders during an MSHA personnel change, and in one case said it…
Secretary of Labor v. Material Sand & Stone Corporation
Secretary of Labor v. Material Sand & Stone Corporation (FMSHRC YORK 2025-0020): Unserved default order held nonfinal
Material Sand & Stone asked to reopen a default after it sent its answer to the Secretary's representative instead of filing it with the Commission. The company said it never received the Commission's order to show cause and later pursued the matter after delinquency and collection notices arrived…
Secretary of Labor v. Trap Rock & Granite Quarries, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Trap Rock & Granite Quarries, LLC (FMSHRC CENT 2025-0051): Personnel-transition default reopened
Trap Rock defaulted after the site superintendent handling the penalty case left the company and the replacement superintendent did not know about the proceeding. The Secretary did not oppose reopening and could not confirm that another company representative received the show-cause order. Trap…
Secretary of Labor v. Leroy's Excavating, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Leroy's Excavating, Inc. (FMSHRC CENT 2025-0031): Unsupported non-receipt claim denied
Leroy's Excavating defaulted after its attorney did not answer the Secretary's penalty petition or the Commission's order to show cause. The company later asserted that neither it nor its attorney received the show-cause order. Commission records showed that the order was sent to the company's…
Secretary of Labor v. Wayne J. Sand & Gravel, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Wayne J. Sand & Gravel, Inc. (FMSHRC WEST 2024-0238): Unread show-cause order did not excuse default
Wayne J. Sand & Gravel failed to answer MSHA's penalty petition and then failed to respond to the Commission's show-cause order. Its new office secretary said she was unfamiliar with the process, busy, and did not scroll far enough to recognize the attached order. The Commission found that the…
Secretary of Labor v. Envirotech Drilling, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Envirotech Drilling, LLC (FMSHRC WEST 2024-0121): Missing email explanation defeated reopening
Envirotech timely contested an assessment and later said it received no further correspondence until a delinquency letter. Records showed that MSHA's penalty petition and the Commission's show-cause order had both been sent to the safety manager's active email address. Envirotech did not identify…
Secretary of Labor v. L Rock Industries, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. L Rock Industries, Inc. (FMSHRC WEST 2023-0348): Vague mail explanation did not reopen default
L Rock Industries defaulted after failing to answer a penalty petition and the Chief Judge’s order to show cause. It sought reopening by stating that it had mailed a conference request and had experienced confusion receiving MSHA mail after an ownership change. The Secretary responded that the…
Secretary of Labor v. Western Refractory Construction, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Western Refractory Construction, Inc. (FMSHRC CENT 2023-0191): First spam-filter failure excused
Western Refractory defaulted after its safety manager did not see the Secretary's penalty petition or the ALJ's show-cause order because the emails went to a spam folder. The Commission found no prior similar failure, no history of reopening motions, and no allegation of bad faith. It also noted…
Secretary of Labor v. Mike Morgan Industrial, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Mike Morgan Industrial, LLC (FMSHRC CENT 2023-0244): Unmonitored spam and unexplained delay barred reopening
Mike Morgan Industrial did not answer the Secretary's penalty petition because it contacted MSHA and waited for a response, even though the petition directed it to answer the Commission within 30 days. The company then missed the ALJ's show-cause order because the email went to a spam folder. It…
Secretary of Labor v. Cooper Stone, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Cooper Stone, LLC (FMSHRC CENT 2023-0056): Ongoing negotiations did not excuse missed answer
Cooper Stone defaulted after failing to answer the Secretary's penalty petition and the ALJ's show-cause order. The company said it believed no answer was required while settlement negotiations with MSHA were continuing. The Commission noted that both filings explained the required procedure and…
Secretary of Labor v. Continental Cement Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Continental Cement Company, LLC (FMSHRC CENT 2022-0064): Prompt motion excused missed petition and show-cause order
Continental Cement's counsel received two penalty petitions but mistakenly forwarded one to himself instead of an assistant, leaving 11 citations unanswered. Counsel later overlooked a show-cause order while engaged in trial, and his tracking system incorrectly showed an active docket. He…
Secretary of Labor v. Hamilton County Coal, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Hamilton County Coal, LLC (FMSHRC LAKE 2023-0037): Delivery uncertainty and wrong email excused default
Hamilton County Coal timely contested a penalty but did not answer the Secretary's later petition, leading to a default order. Its safety director discovered the default while reviewing a different assessment and then learned that the case had been transferred to an MSHA representative. The…
Secretary of Labor v. Coal-Mac, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Coal-Mac, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2023-0154): Untrained manager and vague errors barred reopening
Coal-Mac sought relief from default orders in five penalty cases after failing to answer the Secretary's petitions and later show-cause orders. It said only that its safety manager was unfamiliar with the contest process and made errors. The Commission found that explanation too general because it…
Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Gateway North Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Gateway North Mining, LLC (FMSHRC LAKE 2022-0220): Family medical crisis excused missed filings
Peabody Gateway's part-time safety manager received a penalty petition while traveling for an audit and misread it as an attorney's entry of appearance. He later mistook the show-cause email for an informational COVID-19 message. The manager explained that his elderly father's injury and…
Secretary of Labor v. Buzzi Unicem USA
Secretary of Labor v. Buzzi Unicem USA (FMSHRC CENT 2022-0189): No explanation and four-month delay barred reopening
Buzzi Unicem asked to reopen a defaulted penalty case so it could explain why it disagreed with the alleged violations. It gave no reason for failing to answer the Secretary's petition, the show-cause order, or the default order. Buzzi also waited about four months after MSHA sent a delinquency…
Secretary of Labor v. Northside Rock Products, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Northside Rock Products, LLC (FMSHRC WEST 2022-0288): Misfiled paperwork did not establish good cause
Northside Rock Products asked the Commission to reopen a penalty case that defaulted after it did not answer the Secretary's petition or a show-cause order. The company said paperwork was placed in the wrong file and that it mistakenly believed an answer had been filed. The Secretary opposed…
Secretary of Labor v. Southwest Rock Products, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Southwest Rock Products, Inc. (FMSHRC WEST 2021-0275): Unexplained delay barred reopening
Southwest Rock Products asked the Commission to reopen a penalty assessment that became final after the company did not answer the Secretary's petition or a show-cause order. The company said it was unsure why the case defaulted and had received no documentation. The Secretary did not oppose…
Secretary of Labor v. Benton County Stone Co. Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Benton County Stone Co. Inc. (FMSHRC CENT 2022-0104): Hospitalization excused default
Benton County Stone failed to answer the Secretary's penalty petition, and an order to show cause became a default order. The operator's safety director and MSHA consultant had been hospitalized for surgery and was on medical leave when MSHA emailed him about the case. Benton moved to reopen on the…
Secretary of Labor v. Global Pumice, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Global Pumice, LLC (FMSHRC WEST 2020-0254): Answer sent to MSHA supported vacating default
Global Pumice mailed its answer to MSHA instead of the Commission, believing the filing would be forwarded. The company also said it never received the show-cause order because that order went to the wrong address. It learned of the default through a delinquency notice and moved to reopen shortly…
Secretary of Labor v. Green Brothers Gravel Company, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Green Brothers Gravel Company, Inc. (FMSHRC SE 2021-0194): Mistyped email justified reopening default
Green Brothers Gravel did not answer the Secretary's penalty petition, and an order to show cause became a default order after 30 days. The operator said pandemic-era service occurred by email and a typographical error in counsel's email address prevented delivery of both the petition and later…
Secretary of Labor v. Farwest Portable Crushing, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Farwest Portable Crushing, Inc. (FMSHRC WEST 2020-0362): Documented mailing attempts defeated default
Farwest Portable Crushing was defaulted after the record appeared to show that it had not answered the Secretary's penalty petition or responded to an order to show cause. The operator produced certified-mail receipts showing that it mailed an answer in September 2020 and resent its paperwork in…
Secretary of Labor v. Table Rock Asphalt Construction, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Table Rock Asphalt Construction, Inc. (FMSHRC CENT 2018-0361): Manager turnover excused missed answer
Table Rock failed to answer the Secretary's penalty petition, causing a show-cause order to become a final default order. The operator said its records and filing responsibilities were disrupted when its safety manager was replaced. Its files contained a copy of an answer, but it could not confirm…
Secretary of Labor v. Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2021-0076): Filing errors justified reopening a default
Warrior Met Coal Mining LLC attempted to answer the Secretary's penalty petition, but the Commission's electronic filing system rejected the submission because the caption contained a typographical error. The company believed the answer had been accepted and also said it did not receive the later…
Secretary of Labor v. Las Vegas Paving Corp.
Secretary of Labor v. Las Vegas Paving Corp. (FMSHRC WEST 2020-0167): Strong filing record supported relief from default
Las Vegas Paving Corporation did not answer the Secretary's penalty petition, and a second show-cause order became a default order. The company said it never received the petition, could not determine why, and acknowledged that a mistake occurred. It described a methodical system for tracking…
Secretary of Labor v. LRock Industries
Secretary of Labor v. LRock Industries (FMSHRC WEST 2018-0449): Split-docket confusion supported relief from default
LRock Industries received citations written one minute apart, but the related penalties were placed in two separate dockets without the operator realizing it. LRock answered the petition in the first docket but not the petition in the second, and the second case went into default. The plant manager…
Secretary of Labor v. Virginia Drilling Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Virginia Drilling Company, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2019-0226): Default vacated for excusable neglect
Virginia Drilling timely contested a proposed penalty assessment but did not answer the later penalty petition or respond to an order to show cause, resulting in default. The company sought reopening shortly after receiving a delinquency notice and said it had not received an assignment and…
Wayne J. Sand and Gravel, Inc. v. Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Labor v. Wayne J. Sand and Gravel, Inc.
Wayne J. Sand and Gravel, Inc. v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC WEST 2019-0111): Sixteen-month delay bars reopening
A penalty case defaulted and the related contest was dismissed in 2019 after Wayne J. Sand and Gravel did not respond. The company waited until December 2020, more than 16 months after the orders became final, to seek reopening. It said it had not received the penalty petition or show-cause order…
Secretary of Labor v. James Irvin, Agent of Rhino Eastern, LLC, Eagle 3 Mine
Secretary of Labor v. James Irvin, Agent of Rhino Eastern, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2017-0561): Mistakenly ignored default reopened
James Irvin did not answer a civil-penalty petition, and a show-cause order became a default order. He explained that MSHA had sent a letter saying all charges were dropped, so he believed later correspondence was an oversight and the matter had settled. The Secretary did not oppose reopening but…
Secretary of Labor v. Industrial Process Equipment Constructors
Secretary of Labor v. Industrial Process Equipment Constructors (FMSHRC YORK 2018-0084): Family illness supported reopening two defaults
Industrial Process Equipment Constructors answered two show-cause orders late because the responsible employee mistakenly believed she had 30 days to respond. During that period, she was caring for several ill family members, her mother died, and the company had lost the secretary who normally…
Secretary of Labor v. Iron Mountain Quarry, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Iron Mountain Quarry, LLC (FMSHRC WEST 2019-0082): Unserved show-cause order prevented default
Iron Mountain Quarry did not answer a penalty petition, and an ALJ show-cause order appeared to convert into a default. The operator and its counsel had no record of receiving the petition or later documents, and the Secretary could not provide proof of delivery. The Commission found that the…
Secretary of Labor v. Image Materials
Secretary of Labor v. Image Materials (FMSHRC CENT 2020-0017): Allegedly lost answer sent back for good-cause finding
Image Materials defaulted after it appeared not to answer the Secretary's penalty petition or the ALJ's show-cause order. The operator said it timely sent its contest to MSHA's Dallas office and later sent it again to the Arlington office, but the filing was lost after receipt. The Secretary did…
Secretary of Labor v. Inwood Quarry, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Inwood Quarry, Inc. (FMSHRC WEVA 2019-0221): Address error supported vacating default
Inwood Quarry said it never received the hearing packet or the ALJ's show-cause order before the case defaulted. The penalty assessment form listed the company's correct post-office box, but the certificate of service and later show-cause order used a different address. The Secretary did not oppose…
Secretary of Labor v. North American Millwright Services, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. North American Millwright Services, Inc. (FMSHRC YORK 2019-0010): Good-faith payment supported vacating default
North American Millwright Services defaulted after it did not answer the Secretary's penalty petition or the ALJ's show-cause order. The operator sought reopening about 30 days after the penalties became delinquent and later paid the assessment in full. The Secretary did not oppose reopening but…
Secretary of Labor v. Essroc Cement Corp.
Secretary of Labor v. Essroc Cement Corp. (FMSHRC WEVA 2013-1310-M): Substantial response and continued talks excused default
Essroc failed to file its answer with the Commission, and an unanswered show-cause order became a final default. The company had sent MSHA a detailed position statement and continued settlement communications with both the conference representative and the Solicitor's Office, leading it to believe…
Secretary of Labor v. Willits Company, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Willits Company, Inc. (FMSHRC WEST 2014-1049-M): Ongoing negotiations justified reopening default
Willits Company did not timely answer the Secretary's penalty petition, and an unanswered show-cause order became a final default order. Willits said it did not understand how the case had closed because it had been negotiating the penalty with the Solicitor's Office. The Secretary confirmed that…
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.