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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Northern Metal Company
Hard-hat violations affirmed but repeat claims and penalties removed
Northern Metal's longshore employees repeatedly worked without protective hats despite the company's efforts to encourage their use. The Commission held that Northern Metal remained their employer under the economic realities of the hiring-hall arrangement because it paid the workers, determined…
Portland Stevedoring Company
Unsecured hatch-beam violation classified as serious
Portland Stevedoring employees unloaded cargo from a ship while an unsecured hatch beam remained above the working hold. The beam was about 30 feet long, weighed 900 to 1,200 pounds, and was positioned roughly 40 feet above at least three employees. The Commission held the violation serious because…
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…
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…
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.