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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Colonial Craft Reproductions, Inc.
Seven items affirmed but all penalties vacated
Colonial Craft, a very small wooden-giftware manufacturer, was cited for nine non-serious violations, with $165 in penalties proposed for spray-area electrical wiring, exit signs, machine belts, and radial saws. The Commission agreed that the penalized conditions were not minor and ordinarily would…
Hydroswift Corporation
$120 penalty affirmed for four higher-gravity items
Hydroswift, a fiberglass-boat manufacturer, did not dispute 12 non-serious violations and contested only four $30 penalties. The penalized items involved missing stair and open-floor railings, improper storage of flammable liquids, combustible residue in spray areas and on sprinkler protection, and…
Banner Engineering Corporation
Nine items affirmed and $30 penalty vacated
OSHA cited Banner Engineering for nine non-serious violations and proposed a $30 penalty for item 1. The company did not dispute the violations and reported that it had corrected all items, but it challenged the penalty because it had little time to correct the conditions before inspection. The…
Anderson Excavating & Wrecking Co., Inc.
Three items and $335 affirmed
OSHA cited Anderson Excavating & Wrecking for three other-than-serious violations and proposed penalties totaling $335. The company and the Secretary stipulated to withdrawal of the contest. Anderson paid the proposed penalties, stated that it had corrected the conditions and would maintain…
Singleton Sheet Metal Works, Inc.
Contest reinstated for timeliness hearing
A judge first vacated Singleton Sheet Metal's citation because the Secretary allegedly forwarded the contest too late, then reversed himself and dismissed the employer's contest as late. The Commission held that the judge lacked jurisdiction to reconsider his first dispositive order after…
Singleton Sheet Metal Works, Inc.
Contest reinstated for timeliness hearing
Singleton Sheet Metal Works contested a no-serious citation carrying a $25 penalty. The judge first vacated the citation because the Secretary allegedly forwarded the contest too late, then reconsidered and dismissed the contest as untimely. The Commission held that the judge lacked jurisdiction to…
E. A. Roos & Company
Withdrawal order corrected to include all contested items
E. A. Roos contested citation items 1 through 5, 7, and 8, then stipulated that the violations existed and had been abated. The parties agreed that no penalty should be assessed for item 7's ungrounded electric hand tool and that $260 was reasonable for the remaining violations. The judge approved…
Arnold Hansen, dba Hansen Brothers Logging
Loader-swing citation vacated
Hansen Brothers Logging used a rotating log loader whose counterweight created a hazardous swing area near a truck trailer. An employee entered that area during loading and was fatally injured. OSHA cited the employer under the general duty clause and proposed a $500 penalty. The Commission found…
Cook Ford Sales, Inc.
Contest dismissed after abatement certifications were not filed
OSHA cited Cook Ford Sales for nine non-serious violations and initially proposed $165 in penalties. The Secretary's complaint removed two items and their two $25 penalties, leaving $140. The company sent a $140 check and asked to end the case, but it did not respond to repeated requests to certify…
Waldinger Corporation
Citation vacated for insufficient evidence
OSHA issued Waldinger an other-than-serious citation and later amended the abatement date and proposed penalty notice. An earlier order had dismissed the company's contest for failure to certify service, but the case was reinstated. The Secretary then moved to dismiss the complaint and citation…
Constructora Metalica, Inc.
Crane citation vacated after denial of a fair hearing
A crane collapsed during dismantling at Constructora Metalica's apartment project, killing one employee and seriously injuring another. OSHA issued a serious general duty clause citation and proposed a $750 penalty. The Commission found that the parties had received notice only of a prehearing…
Spencer Foods, Inc.
Two items vacated and all penalties eliminated
OSHA cited Spencer Foods for multiple non-serious conditions at its meat-processing plant, including access, ladder, guarding, fire-safety, vehicle, and protective-equipment issues. The judge found that the Secretary had not proved that a fixed ladder was covered by the cited portable-ladder rule…
Mayaguez Shoe Corp.
Pro se response accepted and default reversed
OSHA issued Mayaguez Shoe one serious and one non-serious citation with proposed penalties totaling $780. Acting without counsel, the company timely contested and later wrote to the Secretary about posting, prompt abatement, good faith, and its need for procedural help. The judge dismissed the…
Mayaguez Shoe Corp.
Pro se contest reinstated and remanded
Mayaguez Shoe received one serious and one other than serious citation with proposed penalties totaling $780. The company filed a timely contest without counsel and later wrote to the Secretary about posting, procedural assistance, prompt abatement, and good faith. The judge dismissed the contest…
National Realty & Construction Company, Inc.
Passenger-riding citation affirmed with reduced penalty
A foreman rode on the step of a front-end loader that was towing equipment down a dirt ramp. The loader stalled and overturned, fatally injuring the foreman after he left the step. OSHA cited National Realty under the general duty clause and proposed an $800 penalty for allowing passenger riding on…
Columbus Forge & Iron Company
Noise-abatement plan deadline extended
Columbus Forge & Iron contested a citation under OSHA's occupational-noise standard. The parties agreed that the company needed more time to prepare engineering and administrative control studies. They extended the deadline for a proposed compliance plan from August 9 to September 1, 1972, while…
Chrysler Corporation
Contested item vacated and remaining citation affirmed
OSHA issued Chrysler a citation and amended citation containing several non-serious items. Chrysler contested only item 6 and its proposed $30 penalty, so the complaint and answer addressed only that item. After reviewing the evidence, the Secretary moved to amend again and dismiss the complaint…
Spildie Construction Company
Abatement certification required to complete withdrawal
OSHA cited Spildie Construction for 20 non-serious violations and proposed $445 in penalties for 12 items. The company contested only the penalties, then moved to withdraw and tendered the full amount. The Commission found that the withdrawal papers did not certify correction of the cited…
Trailmobile Division of Pullman, Inc.
No-penalty item affirmed after withdrawal
OSHA cited Trailmobile's steel-fabricating plant for 13 violations. The company contested only item 7, so the other 12 items and their combined $425 penalties became final without review. The parties later stipulated that item 7 had been corrected, continuing compliance would be maintained, and the…
John H. Boyson, dba Boyson Construction Co.
Withdrawal conditioned on employee service
Boyson Construction moved to withdraw its contest after correcting the cited condition, tendering the $200 proposed penalty, and promising continuing compliance. The judge approved withdrawal even though the motion did not show that affected employees or their representative had received it. The…
Alaska Wood Products, Inc.
Poster item and $50 penalty vacated
OSHA cited Alaska Wood Products for 41 non-serious violations and proposed penalties totaling $645. The company contested only item 1, which alleged failure to display the official employee-rights poster and carried a $50 penalty. Further investigation showed that an authorized Labor Department…
Jaso-Carol Dress Co., Inc.
Dismissal reversed after proof of service was found
OSHA cited Jaso-Carol Dress for four non-serious violations involving fan guards, exit signs, sewing-machine drives, and an electrical junction box, with a $30 penalty on one item. The judge dismissed the company's contest because the case record appeared not to contain proof that its filings had…
Jaso-Carol Dress Co., Inc.
Contest reinstated after filing oversight
Jaso-Carol Dress timely contested four nonserious items involving fan guards, exit-sign illumination, exposed sewing-machine drives, and an uncovered junction box. The judge dismissed the contest because the record appeared not to contain proof that the contest and answer had been served on the…
Eller Brothers, Inc.
Power-line crane violations affirmed and electrical-installation items vacated
Eller Brothers used a crane beneath energized 13,500-volt lines while employees worked in a wet sewer ditch. The boom contacted a line and an employee was electrocuted. The judge vacated two electrical-installation items because those rules applied to jobsite electrical installations, not crane…
I. Steinman & Sons
Default affirmed for missing answer and employee service
I. Steinman & Sons did not file a timely answer to the Secretary's complaint. It also failed to respond to the Commission's request for proof that its contest had been served on affected employees or their representative. The judge dismissed the contest and affirmed the citation. The Commission…
Arlene Separates, Inc.
Citation affirmed after employee-service order was ignored
Arlene Separates moved to withdraw its notice of contest. The Commission ordered the company to certify that the withdrawal motion had been served on affected employees or their authorized representative, but the company did not comply. The Commission set aside its earlier order, denied withdrawal…
Standard Glass Company, Inc.
Hard-hat citation vacated as isolated employee conduct
Two Standard Glass employees left company vehicles and spent less than five minutes in a hard-hat area without protective helmets. The company had required hard hats before the OSH Act, supplied them to workers and visitors, instructed employees to wear them, and enforced the rule with discipline…
Paulmar Wire Products, Inc.
Contest reinstated because certified mail was not required
OSHA cited Paulmar Wire Products for seven non-serious violations and proposed $90 in penalties. The employer said it mailed a contest shortly after receiving the citation, but the judge dismissed because the file lacked certified-mail proof and a later copy appeared untimely. The Commission held…
Paulmar Wire Products, Inc.
Notice of contest reinstated before withdrawal
OSHA cited Paulmar Wire Products for seven nonserious machine, electrical, eye-protection, and fire-safety violations and proposed a total penalty of $90. A judge dismissed the company's notice of contest because the record lacked proof that it had been served by registered or certified mail. The…
Permaneer Corporation
Abatement deadline extended after parts delay
Permaneer asked for more time to correct citation items 7 and 8 because required replacement parts were difficult to obtain from the manufacturer. The request came after the original May 8 deadline, but the Secretary agreed to waive the timing defect because the company had made a good-faith effort…
Packaging Products Incorporated
Amended citation affirmed after abandoned contest
Packaging Products contested only the proposed penalties on a 10-item citation. It did not respond to an order to show cause addressing employee service and its failure to answer the complaint, so the judge treated the contest as abandoned. The Secretary's complaint had already removed some items…
Muller Boat Works, Inc.
Withdrawal denied for missing employee service
Muller Boat Works asked to withdraw its contest after abating the cited conditions and tendering the proposed penalty. The judge approved the request based on assurances of compliance and employee participation. The Commission found that the record did not show that the withdrawal motion itself had…
General Meat Company, Inc.
Low-gravity penalties vacated after prompt abatement
OSHA cited General Meat for electrical, drinking-water, restroom, lunch-area, and fire-extinguisher conditions and proposed $280 in penalties. The judge affirmed 12 non-serious items and allowed the Secretary to withdraw two other allegations. On review, the Commission focused on the penalties for…
California Stevedore & Ballast Company
Shackle-mousing citation vacated
California Stevedore used a spreader-bar assembly with four screw-pin shackles whose pins were not secured by wire, a practice known as mousing. OSHA cited the company under a longshoring rule requiring employer-provided screw-pin shackles used aloft to be moused unless they were part of a…
Phoenix, Inc., Legore Quarries Division
Quarry citations vacated for lack of OSHA jurisdiction
Phoenix operated a limestone-pulverizing facility at its Legore Quarries Division. OSHA issued serious and non-serious citations after an employee's leg was caught in an auger and amputated above the knee, and proposed a $750 serious penalty. The judge approved withdrawal of the contest but…
Triangle Millwork & Supply Corporation
Withdrawal approved and citation affirmed
Triangle Millwork moved to withdraw its contest after correcting all cited conditions. The company promised compliance with OSHA standards, paid the proposed penalties in full, and served the withdrawal request on all parties, including the employee representative. The Commission found that the…
Centerline Metal Products Co.
$850 withdrawal settlement approved
Centerline Metal Products moved to withdraw its contest during a prehearing conference and agreed to pay an $850 penalty. The government did not oppose the agreement. The judge approved withdrawal, ended the prehearing conference, and canceled the public hearing without deciding the merits. The…
J. E. Chilton Millwork & Lumber Company, Inc.
Six items affirmed with no penalties
OSHA cited J. E. Chilton Millwork for seven non-serious violations involving first aid, housekeeping, lunch space, extinguisher inspections, toilet partitions, equipment grounding, and compressed-air cleaning. The judge treated the toilet-partition item as de minimis, vacated that citation and…
Meyco Products, Inc.
Withdrawal denied for missing employee service
Meyco Products moved to withdraw its contest after correcting the violations, promising future compliance, and tendering the $25 proposed penalty. The company said it sent the motion to the parties, but the record did not show service on affected employees. It also had not responded to two earlier…
J. R. Steel, Inc., a Subsidiary of American Agencies Co., Inc.
Default affirmed with amended $753 penalty
OSHA issued J. R. Steel serious and non-serious citations with proposed penalties totaling $955. The Secretary later amended the non-serious citation by deleting several items and reduced the total penalty by $202 to $753. The company did not answer the complaint, amended complaint, or the…
Hamilton Metal Products, Inc.
Default affirmed after repeated filing failures
Hamilton Metal Products timely contested but initially failed to serve affected employees. After receiving repeated instructions, it eventually documented service of the contest, but it did not file a proper answer to the complaint. Its later letters argued that the violations were minor and…
Modern Marble, Inc.
Ten-item amended citation and $118 affirmed
OSHA initially cited Modern Marble for 14 items and proposed $218 in penalties. The Secretary's complaint omitted items 1, 4, 6, and 7, each carrying $25, which amended both the citation and the penalty total. The judge corrected the penalty to $118 but still referred to all 14 citation items. The…
Dale M. Madden Construction, Inc.
Crane power-line citation and $650 penalty affirmed
Madden Construction operated a crane near a 55,000-volt overhead line while leveling the equipment for pile-driving work. An employee at an outrigger received an electrical shock and was injured. The judge dismissed the case because he found the Secretary's accident investigation weak and concluded…
New York Packaging Corporation
Citation and penalty affirmed by default
New York Packaging did not answer the Secretary's complaint. The judge refused to affirm the citation and penalty without more factual information about jurisdiction, violation classification, and penalty factors, and denied the Secretary's request for reconsideration. The Commission treated the…
Exacto Products Corporation
Withdrawal approved and $93.75 penalty affirmed
Exacto Products and the Secretary agreed that the company should withdraw its contest to four non-serious citations carrying $93.75 in proposed penalties. The record showed abatement, a promise of continuing compliance, tender of the penalty, and an opportunity for affected employees to…
Suddath of South Florida
Withdrawal settlement approved with one item removed
OSHA issued Suddath two non-serious citations containing nine items. The parties stipulated that six pleaded items had been and would remain corrected, the company had paid $62.50, one item should be withdrawn because the alleged facts were not a violation, and employees had notice through…
American Home Products
Press-guarding settlement and $770 penalty approved
OSHA cited American Home Products after finding numerous inadequately guarded punch presses and foot-operated press pedals at its Ekco Housewares division. The record stated that press conditions had caused multiple employee amputations before inspection. The company represented that it had fully…
Sharp and Parrott, Inc.
No-penalty withdrawal settlement approved
OSHA cited Sharp and Parrott for conditions under standards that had not yet taken effect, proposed no penalty, and the parties agreed to treat the citation as arising under the general duty clause. The company represented that the conditions had been corrected, promised continuing compliance…
Dawson Brothers Mechanical Contractors
Withdrawal remanded for settlement evidence
Dawson Brothers and the Secretary stipulated to withdrawal of the company's contest, and the judge proposed making the citation and penalty final. The Commission found that the record did not show when abatement was or would be completed, whether the employer promised continuing compliance, whether…
Arthur G. McKee & Company
Serious-citation withdrawal and $700 penalty approved
Arthur G. McKee & Company moved to withdraw its contest to a serious citation. The company represented that it had fully corrected the violation, paid the $700 proposed penalty, and would continue to comply. Affected employees and the Secretary consented, and the motion was served on the…
S & H Riggers & Erectors, Inc.
Serious-citation withdrawal and $750 penalty approved
S & H Riggers & Erectors moved to withdraw its contest to a serious citation. The company represented that it had fully corrected the violation, paid the $750 proposed penalty, and would continue to comply. Affected employees and the Secretary consented, and the motion was served on the Secretary's…
Gifford-Hill Pre-Stress
Concrete-lifting settlement and $700 penalty approved
OSHA cited Gifford-Hill, a general contractor, and an erection subcontractor over allegedly unsafe lifting attachments on prestressed concrete slabs. Gifford-Hill moved to withdraw its contest, represented that the condition was corrected, paid the $700 proposed penalty, and promised continuing…
Hidden Valley Corporation of Virginia
Trench citation affirmed and penalty raised to $1,000
Hidden Valley required employees to work in an approximately nine-foot-deep sewer trench whose sides were neither shored nor sloped. The trench collapsed and killed an employee and another person. Because the specific construction standard was not yet applicable to this employer, OSHA cited the…
Nacirema Operating Company, Inc.
Forklift penalty reduced and reporting item left unpenalized
Nacirema used a forklift without an overhead guard to move heavy boxes in a ship's hold. A box fell onto the operator, causing a spinal fracture and hospitalization, and the company also failed to report the hospitalization within 48 hours. The employer admitted both violations and disputed the…
Southeastern Maritime Company
Safety-net citation and $26.49 penalty affirmed
Southeastern Maritime assigned two gangs to load flour sacks at different levels in the same ship hold. One gang worked on a cargo stack about 11 feet above employees below, but the company did not rig the safety net required to prevent workers or cargo from falling. The company did not dispute…
Puget Sound Power & Light Co.
Disputed settlement set aside and hearing ordered
OSHA cited Puget Sound Power & Light under the general duty clause and proposed a $600 penalty. The parties stipulated that the case involved legitimate factual and legal disputes, the company would withdraw its contest, and it would pay $550 without admitting a violation. The judge approved the…
McCloskey & Company
Contest dismissed for missing service certification
The Commission dismissed McCloskey's contest because the company did not certify service of the contest on other parties as required by Commission rules. The citation and proposed penalties were affirmed in full. Commissioner Van Namee dissented because the compliance warning had been sent to the…
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.