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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.

5,577 decisions and counting · Latest decision July 17, 2026
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ALJ

Metro Ports, d/b/a Southeast Crescent Shipping

Five lead and cadmium items vacated

Metro Ports operated a marine terminal at the Port of Wilmington, North Carolina, where it handled sealed bulk containers of Waelz oxide containing trace lead and cadmium. OSHA cited five serious violations involving respiratory-hazard evaluation, housekeeping, hazard communication, and…

October 8, 2025 ·William S. Coleman
Citations vacated
ALJ

Secretary of Labor v. Harrison County Coal Resources, Inc.

Secretary of Labor v. Harrison County Coal Resources, Inc. (FMSHRC WEVA 2024-0205): Three coal-mine citations upheld with one negligence reduction

MSHA cited Harrison County Coal Resources for an inadequately guarded shuttle-car cable reel, travel under unsupported roof, and a hole in a permanent ventilation stopping. The Judge found that gaps in a makeshift rubber cover could allow contact with the moving chain and spool, even though an…

September 30, 2025 ·Alan G. Paez
Mixed result
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Morton Salt, Inc.

Secretary of Labor v. Morton Salt, Inc. (FMSHRC CENT 2022-0176): Review petition withdrawn

An administrative law judge removed the significant and substantial designations from two MSHA citations issued to Morton Salt. The Commission granted the Secretary of Labor's petition to review that ruling and later heard oral argument. The Secretary then asked to withdraw the petition, and Morton…

September 22, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Co.

Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Co. (FMSHRC PENN 2021-0084): Two S&S citations affirmed

MSHA cited Consol's Bailey Mine for a missing keeper pin on a longwall shield and cracked light globes on a continuous miner. The Commission held that substantial evidence supported the judge's findings that the missing pin created a projectile hazard and the cracked globes could contribute to a…

September 19, 2025
Citations affirmed
ALJ

Sunbelt Rentals Scaffold Services LLC, dba Sunbelt Rentals

Circular-saw training citation vacated

Sunbelt Rentals assigned two employees to build the floor of a temporary paint-storage structure at a Port Arthur, Texas, staging site. One employee sustained tendon and bone injuries when a cordless circular saw contacted his hand, and OSHA cited Sunbelt for allegedly inadequate instruction on…

September 18, 2025 ·Brian A. Duncan
Citations vacated
COMM

Secretary of Labor obo Timothy Barnes, et al. v. Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC

Secretary of Labor obo Timothy Barnes, et al. v. Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2021-0152): Discrimination cases settled

A judge found that Warrior Met Coal Mining discriminated against miners Timothy Barnes and Brandon Hall for exercising rights protected by the Mine Act. The judge ordered reinstatement and backpay relief, assessed $40,000 in civil penalties, required removal of related employment records, and…

September 17, 2025
Settled
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC

Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2025-0041): Holiday extended contest deadline

Consol received a proposed penalty assessment on October 10, 2024, and submitted its contest on November 11. The Secretary treated November 9 as the deadline and argued that the assessment had become final. The Commission applied Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 6(a), because the thirtieth day was a…

September 15, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises, Inc.

Secretary of Labor v. Nally & Hamilton Enterprises, Inc. (FMSHRC KENT 2022-0079): Highwall examination ruling reversed

A tree fell from above a surface mine highwall onto a truck traveling below, killing one miner and seriously injuring another. MSHA alleged that Nally & Hamilton's on-shift examinations failed to identify, report, and correct the tree hazard, but the judge vacated the order because the land above…

September 11, 2025
Remanded
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Gentry Mountain Mining, LLC

Secretary of Labor v. Gentry Mountain Mining, LLC (FMSHRC WEST 2025-0285): One-day-late contest reopened

MSHA mailed Gentry Mountain Mining's proposed penalty assessment to an old address that still appeared on one of the operator's legal identity records. Gentry said its current address had been used for years and that it requested a hearing within 30 days after learning of the assessment. The…

September 3, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Heidelberg Materials US Cement LLC

Secretary of Labor v. Heidelberg Materials US Cement LLC (FMSHRC LAKE 2025-0129): Receipt denial contradicted

Heidelberg Materials asked to reopen a penalty assessment after its safety manager said the mine never received it. MSHA showed that the assessment went to the current address of record and that the plant manager signed for delivery. The Commission found Heidelberg's explanation cursory and…

September 3, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Hard Rock Sand and Gravel

Secretary of Labor v. Hard Rock Sand and Gravel (FMSHRC CENT 2025-0288): Change of mind did not reopen penalties

Hard Rock Sand and Gravel did not contest proposed penalties when they arrived because it wanted to see the effect of earlier citations, then later decided it should contest. It also said it missed an email from its bookkeeper. The Commission held that changing one's mind is not a basis for Rule…

September 3, 2025
Procedural
ALJ

Secretary of Labor v. Iron Mountain Quarry LLC

Secretary of Labor v. Iron Mountain Quarry LLC (FMSHRC WEST 2024-0218): Impact-inspection citations largely affirmed

MSHA issued numerous citations during an impact inspection of Iron Mountain's quarry, including housekeeping violations, falling-material hazards under conveyor belts, an unsafe sagging catwalk, and a missing electrical cover plate. After a two-day hearing, the Judge credited the inspectors'…

August 20, 2025 ·David P. Simonton
Mixed result
ALJ

Packers Sanitation Services, Inc., Ltd., dba PSSI

Conveyor lockout violation affirmed

PSSI provided overnight sanitation services at an automated sandwich plant in Bolingbrook, Illinois. A sanitation worker wedged a conveyor's foot pedal so the belt would run continuously while he dried it with an air hose, and his clothing became caught in the conveyor sprockets. The judge found…

August 20, 2025 ·Patrick B. Augustine
Citations affirmed
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Ohio County Coal Resources, Inc.

Secretary of Labor v. Ohio County Coal Resources, Inc. (FMSHRC WEVA 2025-0220): Mail backlog supported reopening

A temporary problem with MSHA's mail provider interrupted Ohio County Coal Resources' receipt of proposed assessments for several months. When delivery resumed, a larger-than-normal batch increased the safety director's workload, and the operator paid some penalties but failed to send the contest…

August 12, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Prospect Mining & Development Company, LLC

Secretary of Labor v. Prospect Mining & Development Company, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2025-0075): Counsel's missed filing excused

Prospect Mining sent a proposed penalty assessment to outside counsel with instructions to contest it before the deadline. Counsel missed the filing while establishing a new law firm and moving offices. The operator sought reopening less than 30 days after the assessment became final, and the…

August 12, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Drake Cement, LLC

Secretary of Labor v. Drake Cement, LLC (FMSHRC WEST 2025-0144): Contest sent to payment address

Drake Cement intended to contest ten citations and mailed the contest form before the deadline, but a new safety manager sent it with the penalty payment to MSHA's payment lockbox instead of the contest office. The manager later checked MSHA's database, discovered the problem, and sent the…

August 11, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. S&G Excavating, Inc.

Secretary of Labor v. S&G Excavating, Inc. (FMSHRC LAKE 2025-0122): Two misaddressed contests reopened

S&G Excavating mailed two penalty contests with its payments for uncontested penalties to MSHA's payment lockbox instead of the contest office. It sent the paperwork about three weeks before the deadline, then sought MSHA guidance and moved to reopen within a month after receiving delinquency…

August 11, 2025
Procedural
ALJ

Pettengill Family Restoration, LLC

EAJA fee application denied

Pettengill Family Restoration framed panelized houses as a subcontractor and successfully challenged four OSHA cases totaling $78,701 in proposed penalties. The underlying decision vacated all four citations because OSHA did not prove that the workers assembling the houses were Pettengill employees…

August 7, 2025 ·Brian A. Duncan
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Argos Puerto Rico Corp.

Secretary of Labor v. Argos Puerto Rico Corp. (FMSHRC SE 2025-0061): Wrong ZIP code prevented finality

Argos Puerto Rico said it never received MSHA's proposed penalty assessment and asked the Commission to reopen the matter. At the Commission's request, the Secretary produced mailing records showing that MSHA used the wrong ZIP code and that multiple delivery attempts failed. Because section 105(a)…

July 31, 2025
Procedural
ALJ

Secretary of Labor v. Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC

Secretary of Labor v. Warrior Met Coal Mining, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2023-0182): Methane, reporting, and accident-scene citations upheld

Warrior Met contested three citations involving a miscalibrated methane monitor and its response to an elevator accident caused by falling ice. The Judge found the monitor violation significant and substantial because the mine liberates large amounts of methane and the inaccurate reading could…

July 31, 2025 ·Alan G. Paez
Modified
ALJ

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…

July 30, 2025 ·Thomas P. McCarthy
Mixed result
ALJ

Enwright Roofing, LLC

Repeat fall-protection and ladder violations affirmed

Enwright Roofing was a small New York residential roofing contractor replacing shingles on a home in Oswego. OSHA observed the owner and an employee working 8 to 10 feet above the ground without fall protection and using two extension ladders whose rails did not extend three feet above the roof…

July 30, 2025 ·John B. Gatto
Citations affirmed
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Nelson Quarries, Inc.

Secretary of Labor v. Nelson Quarries, Inc. (FMSHRC CENT 2025-0191): Undetailed contest claim rejected

Nelson Quarries said it timely tried to contest proposed penalties but may have sent the notice to the wrong MSHA office. Commissioner Baker, joined by Commissioner Marvit, found that the operator supplied no details or evidence of that attempt and had received filing instructions nine days before…

July 28, 2025
Procedural
ALJ

Hall Trucking, Inc.

Rig-move struck-by violation affirmed

Hall Trucking moved oil and gas drilling-rig equipment with heavy trucks while ground workers, known as swampers, worked nearby. During a rig move near Epping, North Dakota, a newly hired swamper was fatally struck by a Hall flatbed truck backing through a congested area. The judge found that the…

July 10, 2025 ·Joshua R. Patrick
Citations affirmed
ALJ

Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Southeast Mining, LLC

Secretary of Labor v. Peabody Southeast Mining, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2023-0174): Longwall roof-control citation affirmed

MSHA cited Peabody after an unplanned roof fall and deteriorating supports affected the tailgate of the Shoal Creek Mine's J-2 longwall. The inspector observed crushed pumpable supports, fractured roof, and a roof fall blocking the tailgate, while examinations, air readings, and installation of…

July 8, 2025 ·John Kent Lewis
Citations affirmed
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. MDI Mining

Secretary of Labor v. MDI Mining (FMSHRC WEST 2025-0154): Delayed assessment caused filing confusion

MDI Mining timely contested three enforcement actions in May 2024, but did not receive the related proposed penalty assessment until October. The assessment was dated July 9, which made it appear that the 30-day penalty-contest period had already expired and caused filing confusion. The Secretary…

July 1, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. North American Mining Company

Secretary of Labor v. North American Mining Company (FMSHRC SE 2024-0059): Timely answer defeated default

A show-cause order was treated as a default after the Commission record appeared to contain no timely answer from North American Mining. The operator produced an electronic case-management confirmation showing that it had filed its answer four days after the show-cause order and well before the…

July 1, 2025
Procedural
ALJ

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…

June 26, 2025 ·Thomas P. McCarthy
Modified
ALJ

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…

June 26, 2025 ·Thomas P. McCarthy
Modified
ALJ

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…

June 26, 2025 ·Thomas P. McCarthy
Modified
ALJ

Wanda Palo v. United States Steel Corporation

Wanda Palo v. United States Steel Corporation (FMSHRC LAKE 2023-0202-DM): Discrimination complaint dismissed before Commission reversal

Wanda Palo alleged that U.S. Steel discriminated against her by disciplining and firing her after she reported that a coworker had struck her and caused an injury. The Judge found that her reports of the incident and injury were protected activity. He nevertheless concluded that Palo had not shown…

June 18, 2025 ·Alan G. Paez
Procedural
ALJ

Signet Construction, LLC

Truss-bracing violation affirmed and other allegations vacated

Signet Construction was building a 60,000-square-foot dairy barn in South Dakota using 138-foot wooden trusses when most of the trusses over the parlor area collapsed, injuring nine employees. OSHA alleged four General Duty Clause theories involving bracing, truss repair, storage, and hoisting…

June 12, 2025 ·Brian A. Duncan
Mixed result
ALJ

Masis Staffing Solutions, LLC

Unstable truss-bundle citation affirmed

Masis Staffing supplied temporary workers to a roof-truss manufacturer in Gainesville, Florida. A forklift operator left a 2,000-pound bundle of trusses standing vertically and unsupported for about ten minutes, and it fell onto a Masis worker who was securing another bundle to a trailer. The judge…

June 11, 2025 ·John B. Gatto
Citations affirmed
ALJ

TCP Specialists, LLC

Pressurized-piping buffer-zone violation affirmed

TCP Specialists provided wireline services during work on a gas well in San Augustine County, Texas. When well pressure was released into unrestrained pump piping, the pipe ruptured and whipped violently, killing two workers and injuring three others. The judge found that TCP lacked control over…

June 11, 2025 ·John B. Gatto
Citations affirmed
ALJ

Premier Bulk Stevedoring, LLC

Crane-visibility citation vacated

Premier Bulk Stevedoring used a shipboard crane to move rolls of paper from a dock into a vessel's cargo hold. OSHA alleged that the crane operator could not see the signalman guiding the draft's movement and cited the longshoring rule that prohibits hoisting a draft unless the operator can see the…

June 11, 2025 ·John B. Gatto
Citations vacated
COMM

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…

June 6, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. NR Hamm Quarry Inc.

Secretary of Labor v. NR Hamm Quarry Inc. (FMSHRC CENT 2025-0082): Accidental payments reopened

NR Hamm Quarry timely filed citation contests but its accounting office later paid the related proposed penalties without review by the safety department. Counsel discovered the payments only when the Commission announced plans to dismiss the pending contest cases, and the operator promptly sought…

June 6, 2025
Procedural
ALJ

Pettengill Family Restoration, LLC

Four construction citations vacated

Pettengill Family Restoration subcontracted crews to assemble panelized houses at residential construction sites. Four OSHA inspections produced serious and repeat-serious citations involving head and eye protection, fall protection, scaffolds, and ladders, with proposed penalties totaling $78,701…

June 4, 2025 ·Brian A. Duncan
Citations vacated
ALJ

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): Discrimination default and damages ordered

The Secretary brought a Mine Act discrimination case for miner Brek Pinkerton against RMC Mining Development, American Mining Properties, Russ Myers, and Matthew Head. The respondents repeatedly failed to answer, participate in discovery, attend depositions, respond to show-cause orders, or oppose…

May 30, 2025 ·David P. Simonton
Other
ALJ

Magic Valley Crushing & Excavation, LLC, dba The Rock Yard

Unstable shelving storage violation affirmed

Magic Valley Crushing operated The Rock Yard, an Idaho landscaping-supply store with an overstock storage area. After a manager relocated several metal shelving units, the units were not bolted back together and heavy boxes of hardware were stacked more heavily on the upper shelves. One unit leaned…

May 28, 2025 ·Christopher D. Helms
Citations affirmed
ALJ

Secretary of Labor on behalf of Guillermo Ortiz v. Kilauea Crushers

Secretary of Labor on behalf of Guillermo Ortiz v. Kilauea Crushers (FMSHRC WEST 2023-0281): Discrimination complaint dismissed

Guillermo Ortiz alleged that Kilauea Crushers fired him after he raised concerns about cleaning near allegedly unguarded equipment. The Judge found that Ortiz's requests to use a skid-steer or lock out the plants were protected safety activity and that the termination followed closely enough to…

May 21, 2025 ·David P. Simonton
Procedural
ALJ

Precision Refractory Services

Scaffold-alteration item vacated and falling-object item affirmed

Precision Refractory Services performed fireproof-brick work inside a furnace in Cantonment, Florida. The company assigned an employee to clean debris on the ground below workers handling bricks and tools on a scaffold 12 to 14 feet above him, and a scaffold component fell and fractured his wrist…

May 15, 2025 ·Heather A. Joys
Mixed result
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. P&K Stone, LLC

Secretary of Labor v. P&K Stone, LLC (FMSHRC CENT 2024-0295): Returned assessment reopened after address update

MSHA mailed P&K Stone's assessment to its Chico, Texas address of record, but the Postal Service returned it because forwarding had expired. P&K updated its address 24 days after the failed delivery, before receiving a delinquency notice, and moved to reopen within 30 days of that notice. The…

May 7, 2025
Procedural
ALJ

595 Construction LLC

Late contests dismissed and penalties affirmed

OSHA inspected three 595 Construction worksites in Elburn, Illinois, under its fall-hazard emphasis program and issued three sets of citations. The company received the citations in early November 2024 but did not file notices of contest by the November 27 deadline, instead filing about two months…

May 1, 2025 ·Patrick B. Augustine
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Ben's Creek Operations WV, LLC

Secretary of Labor v. Ben's Creek Operations WV, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2023-0530): Commission review withdrawn

The Commission had granted the Secretary of Labor's petition for discretionary review of the judge's decision in April 2024. After further consideration, all three Commissioners concluded that review had been improvidently granted. The Commission vacated its direction for review. The short order…

April 25, 2025
Procedural
ALJ

Dish Network, L.L.C.

Willful rooftop fall-protection citation vacated

A DISH technician installed a satellite antenna on a flat restaurant roof about 14 feet above the ground in Syracuse, New York. Two OSHA compliance officers observing from a restaurant 175 to 200 feet away believed the technician was not attached to fall protection and OSHA issued a willful…

April 17, 2025 ·John B. Gatto
Citations vacated
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Consol Mining Company, LLC

Secretary of Labor v. Consol Mining Company, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2024-0307): Unassessed withdrawal order reopened

Consol requested an MSHA conference to challenge a section 104(b) withdrawal order and expected to contest it with the later penalty assessment for the underlying citation. MSHA assessed no separate penalty for the order, so it was not included as a contestable item in the petition and became final…

April 14, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. TM Crushing, LLC

Secretary of Labor v. TM Crushing, LLC (FMSHRC WEST 2024-0174): Vague staffing explanation rejected

TM Crushing said a personnel change prevented its proposed penalty assessment from reaching outside counsel before the contest deadline. The operator did not identify who changed roles, when the transition occurred, how responsibilities were covered, when the error was discovered, or what…

April 14, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC

Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2024-0083): Timely contests misrouted by MSHA

Consol Pennsylvania Coal mailed two penalty contests within days after receiving the assessments, and MSHA's Arlington mail room received them before the deadline. An internal MSHA error kept the forms from reaching the Civil Penalty Compliance Office, leading to delinquency letters. The Secretary…

April 14, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Thomas Crushing, LLC

Secretary of Labor v. Thomas Crushing, LLC (FMSHRC CENT 2024-0238): Omitted MSHA guidance defeated reopening

Thomas Crushing claimed it believed an earlier conference request counted as a penalty contest because MSHA never followed up. MSHA records showed that an official had called the operator the same day, explained how to contest after receiving the assessment, and received an email confirming the…

April 14, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Kiewit Mining Group

Secretary of Labor v. Kiewit Mining Group (FMSHRC WEST 2024-0270): Unexplained address lapse defeated reopening

The Postal Service could not deliver Kiewit's proposed assessment because the company had moved without leaving a forwarding address. Kiewit cited a corporate-office miscommunication but did not say when the move occurred or explain why repeated quarterly prompts had not led it to update its MSHA…

April 8, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Mitsubishi Cement Corporation

Secretary of Labor v. Mitsubishi Cement Corporation (FMSHRC WEST 2024-0268): Duplicate mailing confusion supported reopening

Mitsubishi prepared two similar packages containing its contest form for 13 citations. One package also held the payment check and went to MSHA's St. Louis lockbox, while the other held a check copy and was sent to Arlington, but MSHA did not receive the Arlington contest. The Secretary did not…

April 8, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Holcim (US) Incorporated

Secretary of Labor v. Holcim (US) Incorporated (FMSHRC SE 2024-0173): Temporary mail staffing supported reopening

Holcim's plant and safety managers did not receive an assessment covering 17 citations after the administrative assistant responsible for mail was terminated. A temporary employee handled mail along with other duties, and the safety manager discovered the assessment while checking MSHA's database…

April 8, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Cook Stone Company, LLC

Secretary of Labor v. Cook Stone Company, LLC (FMSHRC SE 2024-0152): Counsel's case mix-up excused

Cook Stone promptly sent its assessment to outside counsel with instructions to contest it. An attorney confused the assessment with another operator's matter and mistakenly reported that Cook Stone's contest had been filed. Cook Stone had already filed pre-penalty contests for the five citations…

April 7, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. CalPortland Company o/b/o Grimes Rock, Inc.

Secretary of Labor v. CalPortland Company o/b/o Grimes Rock, Inc. (FMSHRC WEST 2022-0334): Operator appeal dismissed

The Commission had granted Grimes Rock's petition for discretionary review in August 2024. CalPortland later notified the Commission that it had become the mine's operator and would appear on behalf of Grimes Rock. The Commission amended the caption to reflect that change. It then granted the…

April 4, 2025
Procedural
ALJ

Bobcat Contracting, LLC

Pipeline pigging citation vacated

Bobcat Contracting was loading a pipeline inspection device into a natural-gas launcher in Farmersville, Texas, when residual gas ignited and an explosion ejected the device and a steel push pole. Two workers were killed and two were seriously injured. OSHA cited Bobcat under the General Duty…

April 4, 2025 ·Christopher D. Helms
Citations vacated
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Staker & Parson Companies

Secretary of Labor v. Staker & Parson Companies (FMSHRC WEST 2025-0013): Repeated omission defeated reopening

Staker & Parson timely contested 27 of 28 citations but later said it had intended to contest the omitted order too. Its assessment form did not select the contest-all option, and two separate citation lists in its cover letter also omitted the order. The operator additionally waited more than two…

April 1, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Heidelberg Materials Northeast, LLC

Secretary of Labor v. Heidelberg Materials Northeast, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2024-0094): Multiple routing failures defeated reopening

Heidelberg's assessment passed through a new safety coordinator and eventually reached an area manager who was often away from his office. The coordinator did not notify the manager, the assessment's six-week internal routing delay was unexplained, and the manager calculated the deadline from an…

April 1, 2025
Procedural
COMM

Secretary of Labor v. Carmeuse Lime and Stone, Inc.

Secretary of Labor v. Carmeuse Lime and Stone, Inc. (FMSHRC LAKE 2024-0255): Eighth citation omission excused

Carmeuse consistently marked and identified an eighth citation for contest, but conflicting counts in its emails led counsel's paralegal to prepare a form covering only the first seven marked citations. The paralegal found the omission immediately upon receiving the penalty petition, and counsel…

April 1, 2025
Procedural
ALJ

Montroy Development LLC

Excavation safety violations affirmed

Montroy Development was working in an excavation in Camillus, New York, when an OSHA compliance officer saw two people inside and directed them to exit. OSHA cited Montroy because a spoil pile and excavator were within two feet of the edge and because an employee worked in an excavation more than…

March 28, 2025 ·Heather Daly
Citations affirmed

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.