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. Certified Crane and Rigging Services, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Certified Crane and Rigging Services, LLC (FMSHRC CENT 2023-0264): Suspended-load citation modified and affirmed
Certified Crane left one end of a multi-ton shaker screen suspended while installation work paused, and two riggers stood about 18 inches from the load. The Judge held that the screen was an ordinary load rather than a component of the crane, so the originally cited raised-component standard did…
Secretary of Labor v. Heidelberg Materials Northeast, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Heidelberg Materials Northeast, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2024-0057): Missing mine-map airflows violated ventilation rule
Heidelberg's annual ventilation map showed airflow for two mine openings but omitted the direction and quantity for two other openings carrying large ambient airflows. The judge rejected Heidelberg's argument that only mechanically generated flows in primary or secondary entries were principal air…
Secretary of Labor v. GMS Mine Repair & Maintenance, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. GMS Mine Repair & Maintenance, Inc. (FMSHRC VA 2023-0021): Contractor held to mine block-light safeguard
A GMS miner drove a manbus past a red block light and caused a head-on underground rail collision that seriously injured miners. GMS argued that the mine-specific safeguard could not be enforced against it because MSHA had issued written notice to the production operator, not separately to GMS, and…
Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Southeast Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Southeast Mining, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2024-0018): Mine-fire report ordered produced with redactions
After a fire at Peabody's Shoal Creek Mine, the Secretary sought the company's internal investigation report in discovery. The judge found that the report was prepared in anticipation of litigation and therefore qualified as work product. She nevertheless held that the Secretary had substantial…
Wesley Mallery v. El Segundo Coal Company, LLC
Wesley Mallery v. El Segundo Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC CENT 2024-0106): Pro se discrimination complaint dismissed
Wesley Mallery alleged that El Segundo retaliated after he raised concerns about blasting procedures and other workplace issues. The judge found that his January 2023 safety reports qualified as protected activity. She nevertheless concluded that paid administrative leave and disability benefits…
Secretary of Labor v. Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2023-0121): Frozen eyewash station violated first-aid rule
Cold weather froze the water supply to the eyewash station in Vulcan's quarry maintenance shop, where miners handled battery acid, oils, and aerosol chemicals. Vulcan pointed to bottled drinking water in an adjacent office and small eyewash bottles stored on vehicles outside. The judge held that…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2021-0046): Shield-pin and mine-map citations modified
CONSOL Pennsylvania Coal Company operates the Enlow Fork underground coal mine in Pennsylvania. The company conceded that four longwall shields were missing keeper pins, but Judge Jacqueline R. Bulluck found that the Secretary did not prove the missing pins were reasonably likely to let…
Secretary of Labor v. Bluff City Minerals, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Bluff City Minerals, LLC (FMSHRC LAKE 2019-0389): Wet insulating-mat citation affirmed
At Bluff City's underground limestone mine, water was spraying onto the insulating mat for a 480-volt pump switch that had only one recognized grounding system. The company argued that the word “dry” in the electrical standard applied only to wooden platforms, not insulating mats. Judge Jacqueline…
Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Southeast Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Southeast Mining, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2019-0075, SE 2019-0146): Three serious violations affirmed
Peabody operated the underground Shoal Creek Mine, where MSHA cited combustible accumulations in two belt areas and an alternate escapeway obstructed by holes, muck, and water. Judge Jacqueline Bulluck found that the belt conditions created fire and smoke hazards and that the escapeway could not…
Secretary of Labor v. Hopkins Hill Sand & Stone, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Hopkins Hill Sand & Stone, LLC (FMSHRC YORK 2019-0025): Late death notification citation affirmed
Hopkins Hill's general manager suffered a fatal heart attack from natural causes while at the company's open-pit crushed stone mine. Mine management knew of the death by 11:24 a.m. but did not notify MSHA until 12:56 p.m., one hour and 17 minutes after the 15-minute reporting deadline. Judge…
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.