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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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.