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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Nu-Way Mobile Home Manufacturing, Inc.
General-industry fall citation vacated because construction standards applied
Nu-Way built mobile homes from the ground up on an assembly line, and OSHA cited the general-industry personal-protective-equipment rule after employees worked on a roof without safety belts. The Commission held that the work was construction because the nature of the work, not its factory…
Martin Iron Works, Inc.
Open-floor citation vacated for lack of employee exposure
Martin Iron Works removed a 4-by-8-foot steel plate from a stairway platform about 170 feet above the basement floor at a construction site. The removal left an unguarded opening, and employees of another subcontractor worked nearby. Martin's own employees were not exposed and had no reason to…
Tyee Construction Company
Live-wire splicing violation affirmed
A Tyee Construction employee spliced a severed, energized 220-volt underground power line while standing on damp ground. He used uninsulated hand tools, regular work boots, and a piece of plywood as his only protection, while a superintendent and safety employee observed the work. The evidence…
John B. Kelly, Inc.
Wall-collapse violation affirmed and serious penalty raised
John B. Kelly employees modified a 17-foot free-standing masonry wall at a federal construction project. A supervisor directed that the wall be supported with diagonal braces, but twice observed the employee proceeding without those braces and left after repeating warnings. The employee later…
Brisk Waterproofing Company, Inc.
Scaffold access charge amended and $1,200 assessed
Brisk employees performed caulking work from two suspended scaffolds 18 stories above the ground. An employee moved between them around a pylon and across an open gap without a safety belt, and three employees occupied a scaffold rated for no more than two workers. The Commission held that OSHA…
Standard Glass & Supply Co.
Serious scaffold citation affirmed with low penalty
Standard Glass & Supply installed exterior glass and metal panels at a two-story building in Tennessee. OSHA found one employee briefly working about 20 feet above the ground on a scaffold without guardrails or toeboards and with nonconforming planking and bracing, while two employees lacked…
J.L. Mabry Grading, Inc.
Backing-alarm amendment allowed on remand
OSHA cited J.L. Mabry Grading for operating dump trucks with obstructed rear vision without backing alarms or a signalman and proposed a $600 serious penalty. The citation identified a regulatory subsection that was not in effect when the alleged violation occurred. The judge denied the Secretary's…
James L. Brussa, Masonry
Dismissal for failure to post citation reversed
OSHA cited James L. Brussa for removing required guardrails from open-sided fourth- and fifth-floor work areas and proposed a $150 penalty. Brussa contested but admitted that he had not posted the citation at or near the worksite. The administrative law judge treated that posting failure as grounds…
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…
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.