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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Snyder Well Servicing, Inc.
Respirator item affirmed and other well-site items vacated
Snyder used a mobile service rig to swab a newly drilled Texas oil well, removing material from the well bore. The Commission held that swabbing had not been shown to be construction work, so construction standards did not apply. It nevertheless affirmed a serious general-industry respiratory…
The Schundler Company
Discharged-extinguisher citation vacated
An OSHA inspector found a discharged, inoperable fire extinguisher standing on the floor of Schundler's furnace room rather than in its mount. Other operable extinguishers provided adequate coverage, and the judge vacated the citation on that basis. The Commission explained that 29 C.F.R. §…
Allied Equipment Company
Numerous shop violations affirmed with a one-cent total penalty
Allied Equipment manufactured horse and stock trailers and repaired truck bodies and frames with five employees. The judge affirmed numerous nonserious violations involving flammable-liquid storage, fire extinguishers, machine and power-transmission guarding, grinder adjustments, a portable saw…
The House of Glass
Seven equipment and electrical items affirmed
The House of Glass operated a retail glass and glazing business in Great Falls, Montana. OSHA cited conditions involving a discharged fire extinguisher, a radial saw, an unguarded pulley, blocked electrical equipment, and three ungrounded appliances or machines. The Commission found the record…
Konkolville Lumber Co., Inc.
One saw item and one chain item upheld
OSHA cited Konkolville Lumber for saw guarding, mechanical power-transmission guarding, and fire-extinguisher conditions at its Idaho sawmill. In an earlier ruling included in this release, the Commission affirmed a serious radial-saw violation with a $100 penalty and left in place a nonserious…
Tobacco River Lumber Co.
Mixed ruling on thirty sawmill citation items
Tobacco River operated a Montana sawmill and planing mill that received a thirty-item citation covering housekeeping, stairs, protective equipment, fire safety, tools, gas cylinders, machinery, and electrical conditions. The Commission upheld the inspection because a company employee with authority…
Muriel Manufacturing Company
Penalties for garment-shop violations affirmed
Muriel Manufacturing Company operated a contract garment-sewing shop where OSHA cited housekeeping, stairway, exit, fire-extinguisher, machine-guarding, electrical, posting, and recordkeeping conditions. The employer admitted 12 nonserious violations, while two abrasive-wheel items were vacated by…
Nibco of Colorado Division, Nibco, Inc.
Three nonserious items affirmed with $35 penalty
Nibco manufactured plumbing fittings and contested several nonserious items involving cranes, electrical wiring, machinery, welding equipment, and personal protective equipment. The Commission vacated the rope-sling item because the cited rule required inspection and a hazard determination, and the…
F. H. Von Damm, Inc.
Three non-serious items and $35 penalty affirmed
F. H. Von Damm was a small wholesaler of animal feed, seeds, and agricultural supplies. The judge affirmed violations for failing to post the OSHA notice, failing to inspect two fire extinguishers annually, and lacking a maintenance tag on another extinguisher. He assessed $35 for the…
Plawner Toy Manufacturing Corporation
Extinguisher item vacated and exit item affirmed
Plawner Toy Manufacturing Corporation operated a small New Jersey plant that made plastic objects. OSHA cited the company for an air nozzle that allegedly exceeded the pressure limit, two unmounted fire extinguishers, and blocked exits, with proposed penalties totaling $140. The judge vacated the…
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…
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.