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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Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp.
Repeated overhead-crane violations affirmed with $50,000 penalty
Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel operated overhead crane no. 26 at its Yorkville, Ohio facility. A switch box in the crane cab had lacked a cover for years, exposing energized electrical parts near the operator despite repeated complaints to supervisors. A securing pin was also missing from a heavy cable…
Bethlehem Steel Corporation
Fall-protection and crane citations vacated
A Bethlehem Steel rigger worked near the unguarded edge of a furnace top without tying off, and OSHA cited the general personal protective equipment standard. Commissioner Cleary concluded that the standard covered safety belts but vacated the item because prior administrative decisions had failed…
General Dynamics Corporation, Electric Boat Division
Pre-1971 crane items vacated
OSHA issued General Dynamics numerous serious and nonserious items under the overhead-crane and mobile-crane standards. The company sought partial summary judgment because the equipment had been constructed and installed before August 31, 1971. The Commission held that the cited provisions…
Interlake, Inc.
Six pre-1971 overhead-crane items vacated
OSHA cited Interlake under six overhead and gantry crane provisions. The company showed through testimony and business records that the cited cranes had been constructed or installed before August 31, 1971, and the Secretary did not rebut that evidence. The Commission held that the cited provisions…
Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp.
Pre-1971 crane citation vacated
OSHA cited Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel under 29 C.F.R. § 1910.179(g)(2)(i), which requires crane electrical equipment to be located or enclosed so employees cannot accidentally contact live parts during normal operation. The judge affirmed the citation and held that the requirement applied to the…
Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp., Wheeling Corrugating Company, Division of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Corporation
Older-crane guarding citations are vacated
These consolidated cases involved electrical and moving-part guarding requirements for overhead and gantry cranes. The Commission held that the cited requirements were design specifications that were mandatory for cranes installed on or after August 31, 1971, but advisory for older cranes. Because…
United States Steel Corporation
Crane resistor citation narrowed to normal production and light-changing operations
U.S. Steel operated overhead cranes with uncovered resistor banks on bridge walkways used by maintenance employees. The Commission held that troubleshooting a crane while it was out of production and controlled by the maintenance worker was not a normal operating condition, so the cited rule did…
Bethlehem Steel Corporation
Unenclosed crane resistor-bank citation left in effect
Bethlehem Steel operated overhead cranes with unenclosed resistor banks along bridge walkways. Maintenance employees performed troubleshooting near energized banks while the cranes carried out normal operating functions, and one employee testified that he had been shocked by resistor banks many…
Dravo Corporation
Settlement approved and crane item withdrawn
Dravo Corporation and the Secretary submitted a settlement agreement under which Dravo withdrew its notice of contest and the Secretary withdrew a nonserious crane item and its proposed $55 penalty for lack of supporting evidence. The judge approved the settlement and assessed $655 but did not…
Continental Steel Corporation
Abatement petition reinstated and remanded
Continental Steel filed a petition to modify an abatement requirement after a citation had become a final order. The underlying cited item concerned exposed live electrical parts on two cranes under 29 C.F.R. § 1910.179(g)(2)(i). The judge dismissed the petition on the ground that the Commission…
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.