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. Morton Salt, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Morton Salt, Inc. (FMSHRC CENT 2022-0248): Ground-control and fire-boss citations upheld
MSHA issued 23 citations at Morton Salt's Weeks Island underground salt mine, a Class II-A domal salt mine with hazards from loose salt scales and unpredictable methane releases. The parties settled 17 citations for $38,320, including one vacatur and several reductions in gravity, negligence, and…
Secretary of Labor v. Rain-for-Rent
Secretary of Labor v. Rain-for-Rent (FMSHRC WEST 2022-0291): Truck fire-warning and extinguisher citations upheld
MSHA cited a Rain-for-Rent service truck at the Kemmerer Mine because it carried oil and flammable aerosol products without readily visible warnings against both smoking and open flames. MSHA also found that the truck's fire extinguisher had a torn inspection tag that did not show the date of its…
Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Southeast Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Southeast Mining, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2023-0065, SE 2023-0102): Slope-belt accumulation orders upheld and modified
MSHA found extensive combustible coal accumulations along Peabody Southeast Mining's slope belt and tail area, including material touching the moving belt and rollers. Damaged and locked rollers supplied potential ignition sources. The mine's examination records had noted accumulations for several…
Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Southeast Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Southeast Mining, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2023-0020): Rib, examination, and coal-accumulation orders upheld
Three litigated orders at Peabody's Shoal Creek Mine concerned extensive loose ribs along a conveyor walkway, an inadequate preshift examination that failed to identify those conditions, and combustible coal accumulations around the Mother Belt. The Judge found five loose-rib sections extending…
Cactus Canyon Quarries, Inc. v. Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Labor v. Cactus Canyon Quarries, Inc.
Cactus Canyon Quarries, Inc. v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC CENT 2023-0045): Mine jurisdiction upheld and citations split
Cactus Canyon challenged MSHA's authority over its Fairland stone-processing plant and the related Clendennen Ranch quarry. The judge held that the plant performed milling and that both facilities were mines covered by the Mine Act. Of ten citations, he vacated four, affirmed three as issued, and…
Secretary of Labor v. Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Warrior Met Coal Mining (FMSHRC SE 2023-0146): Summary decision denied and amended answer allowed
The Secretary alleged that Warrior Met interfered with Mine Act walkaround rights by pursuing state-court contempt sanctions connected to union representatives' efforts to accompany MSHA inspections during a strike. She sought summary decision based largely on facts stated in the pleadings. The…
Secretary of Labor obo Phillip Bowman v. Lexington Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor obo Phillip Bowman v. Lexington Coal Company (FMSHRC WEVA 2023-0363): Economic reinstatement tolled after mine shutdown
Lexington Coal sought to toll Phillip Bowman's temporary economic reinstatement after the Twilight Surface Mine was idled and employees with Bowman's skill set were laid off. The judge accepted evidence that the shutdown resulted from losing a high-price coal sales contract and that no comparable…
Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC v. Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Labor v. Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC
Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC SE 2023-0028): Eighteen dockets dismissed
The Acting Secretary vacated five contest citations and thirteen related penalty proceedings alleging that Warrior Met denied miners' representatives access to its No. 4 and No. 7 mines during a strike. Warrior Met did not oppose dismissal but asked the Judge first to consolidate those eighteen…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of George Rice v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises
Secretary of Labor on behalf of George Rice v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises (FMSHRC KENT 2022-0118): Temporary economic reinstatement ended with Secretary's case
The Secretary obtained temporary reinstatement for miner George Rice while MSHA investigated his discrimination claim against Nally & Hamilton Enterprises. The parties then agreed to temporary economic reinstatement and provided that the operator could seek dissolution if the Secretary declined to…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of George Rice v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises
Secretary of Labor on behalf of George Rice v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises (FMSHRC KENT 2022-0118): Temporary economic reinstatement agreement approved
The Secretary obtained an amended order temporarily reinstating miner George Rice while MSHA considered his discrimination claim against Nally & Hamilton Enterprises. The parties then asked to substitute a temporary economic-reinstatement agreement that was retroactive to September 22, 2022. The…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of George Rice v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises
Secretary of Labor on behalf of George Rice v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises (FMSHRC KENT 2022-0118): Truck-safety complaints supported temporary reinstatement
George Rice drove rock trucks at Nally & Hamilton's Meadow Branch Mine and repeatedly reported a broken air conditioner that made one truck dangerously hot. During the shift after an MSHA inspection, he also reported steering and brake problems in another truck and understood his foreman's…
Secretary of Labor on behalf of George Rice v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises
Secretary of Labor on behalf of George Rice v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises (FMSHRC KENT 2022-0118): Original temporary reinstatement order later amended
George Rice drove rock trucks for Nally & Hamilton Enterprises and repeatedly reported a broken air conditioner that made one truck dangerously hot. During the shift after an MSHA inspection, he also reported steering and brake problems in another truck and understood his foreman's direction to get…
BC Quarries, LLC v. Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Labor v. BC Quarries, LLC
BC Quarries, LLC v. Secretary of Labor and Secretary of Labor v. BC Quarries, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2020-0110-RM): Most withdrawal orders upheld, two vacated
BC Quarries operates the Shirvan Quarry, a Pennsylvania surface mine that produces dimension stone. Judge Thomas P. McCarthy dismissed eight citation contests because BC Quarries did not timely contest the related penalty assessments, which had already become final Commission orders. Of the eleven…
Secretary of Labor obo Darcy White v. Prairie State Generating Co.
Secretary of Labor obo Darcy White v. Prairie State Generating Co. (FMSHRC LAKE 2021-0158): Economic reinstatement remains in effect
Darcy White and Prairie State Generating had agreed to temporary economic reinstatement while the Secretary investigated her discrimination complaint. After White amended the complaint to add a staffing agency, the Secretary requested more time to investigate, and Prairie State asked the judge to…
Secretary of Labor obo Darcy White v. Prairie State Generating Co.
Secretary of Labor obo Darcy White v. Prairie State Generating Co. (FMSHRC LAKE 2021-0158): Economic reinstatement approved
Darcy White and Prairie State Generating reached an agreement for temporary economic reinstatement while her discrimination complaint was investigated. Judge Thomas P. McCarthy found the agreement fair, reasonable, and consistent with the Mine Act's purpose. He ordered Prairie State to provide…
Secretary of Labor v. Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2020-0213): Twenty-one-citation settlement approved
Warrior Met Coal Mining and the Secretary proposed resolving two penalty cases by reducing total penalties from $61,707 to $33,035. Nine citations remained unchanged, while twelve were modified on injury likelihood, number of persons affected, injury severity, or negligence. Judge Thomas P…
Secretary of Labor obo Kenneth R. Hawkins v. New Point Stone Company
Secretary of Labor obo Kenneth R. Hawkins v. New Point Stone Company (FMSHRC LAKE 2021-0036): Miner temporarily reinstated after training dispute
Kenneth Hawkins alleged that New Point Stone fired him after he refused to sign a training document that he believed was inaccurate and called MSHA. The Secretary found that his discrimination complaint was not frivolously brought and applied for temporary reinstatement. New Point Stone waived its…
Secretary of Labor v. Nugent Sand Company
Secretary of Labor v. Nugent Sand Company (FMSHRC KENT 2020-0039): Mine operator liable for utility equipment
Nugent Sand operated a Kentucky sand and gravel plant where one lightning arrestor protecting mine powerlines was inoperable. The arrestor and related high-voltage equipment belonged to Owen Electric Cooperative, which did not allow Nugent Sand to inspect or repair them. Judge Thomas McCarthy held…
Knight Hawk Coal, LLC v. Secretary of Labor
Knight Hawk Coal, LLC v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC LAKE 2019-0087-R): Ventilation-plan revocation vacated
MSHA revoked Knight Hawk Coal's long-approved ventilation plan for perimeter mining at the Prairie Eagle Underground Mine and cited the company for operating without an approved plan. Judge Thomas P. McCarthy found that MSHA relied on unreliable smoke testing and evidence of agency bias against…
Knight Hawk Coal, LLC v. Secretary of Labor
Knight Hawk Coal, LLC v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC LAKE 2019-0087-R): Initial ventilation-plan ruling later amended
MSHA revoked Knight Hawk Coal's approved ventilation plan for perimeter mining at the Prairie Eagle Underground Mine and cited the company for operating without an approved plan. Judge Thomas P. McCarthy found that MSHA relied on unreliable smoke testing and evidence of agency bias, while failing…
Secretary of Labor v. Yahara Materials, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Yahara Materials, Inc. (FMSHRC LAKE 2019-0025): Dump-site berm citation settled for $286
MSHA cited Yahara Materials for failing to provide a berm at a dump site and proposed a $2,361 penalty. In settlement, the operator asserted that a spotter and berms were present, while the Secretary declined to provide requested inspection photographs. Judge Thomas P. McCarthy approved the…
Michael Deuso v. Shelburne Limestone Corp.
Michael Deuso v. Shelburne Limestone Corp. (FMSHRC YORK 2019-0015-DM): New safety allegation required prior MSHA investigation
Michael Deuso filed a discrimination case nearly 19 months after MSHA told him it could not assist with his age-discrimination and assault allegations. Judge Thomas P. McCarthy excused the late filing because MSHA had not told the self-represented miner about his right to bring his own Commission…
Knight Hawk Coal, LLC v. Secretary of Labor
Knight Hawk Coal, LLC v. Secretary of Labor (FMSHRC LAKE 2019-0087-R): Evidence limits denied in ventilation-plan case
Knight Hawk contested MSHA's revocation of its ventilation plan for perimeter mining at the Prairie Eagle Underground Mine. Before hearing, the Secretary sought to exclude evidence about other mines, information not presented to the district manager during negotiations, and testimony from a former…
Michael Deuso v. Shelburne Limestone Corp.
Michael Deuso v. Shelburne Limestone Corp. (FMSHRC YORK 2019-0015-DM): Miner ordered to address late discrimination filing
Michael Deuso alleged that Shelburne Limestone fired him after he adjusted a stone-feeder control and requested a conveyor-belt speed sensor. He filed his Commission discrimination case almost 19 months after an MSHA supervisor had told him that MSHA could not help with his original report, which…
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.