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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Keenan, Hopkins, Schmidt and Stowell Contractors, Inc., d/b/a KHS&S Contractors
Aerial-lift guardrail citation affirmed
KHS&S employees installed exterior drywall from an aerial lift about 60 to 80 feet above the ground. To reach around structural beams and ductwork, they repeatedly climbed onto and worked from the lift basket's guardrails while tied to self-retracting lanyards. The judge found that the aerial-lift…
J4 Welding, Inc.
Contest filed nearly a year late was dismissed
J4 Welding performed mobile welding work at a Florida strip-mall remodeling project where OSHA observed the owner cross from an aerial lift to a building without proper fall protection. OSHA issued three serious items and proposed $9,000 in penalties. The company filed its contest almost a year…
Lacerte Builders, Inc.
Controlling employer liable for subcontractor fall hazards
An OSHA compliance officer observed subcontractor employees using elevated aerial lifts and working on open third-floor balconies without proper fall protection. The judge found that Lacerte controlled the exterior work, supervised the subcontractors, could correct hazards, and had actual knowledge…
Pro Set Erectors, and its successors
Fall-protection violation affirmed and penalty reduced
At a construction site in Idaho, a Pro Set foreman unhooked his lanyard and climbed over the rail of an aerial-lift basket onto a stairway about 30 feet above the ground. The judge held that the lift basket was not an adequate catch platform because it did not reliably protect an employee climbing…
Ernest Bock & Sons, Inc.
Aerial-lift citations withdrawn and vacated
The case involved subcontractor employees working from aerial lifts without required fall protection at a Pennsylvania construction project. The administrative law judge had treated Bock Construction's site superintendent as Ernest Bock & Sons' agent under the multi-employer worksite doctrine and…
Baker Drywall Company, Inc.
Aerial-lift and edge fall violations affirmed
Baker Drywall employees relocated metal studs on simulated smokestacks at a movie theater construction site. One worked from an aerial-lift basket without tying off and at one point straddled its top rail, while another stood on a structural ring about 16 feet above a steel roof without fall…
Ruscilli Construction Co., Inc.
Steel-erection citation split and penalties reduced on reconsideration
Ruscilli Construction erected steel for a large warehouse project in Ohio. OSHA issued seven serious citation items involving jobsite inspections, fall protection, compressed-air hoses, and aerial lifts. Judge Ken S. Welsch affirmed the inspection-program item because the designated competent…
Universal Construction Company, Inc.
General contractor liable for aerial-lift hazards
Universal Construction Company, Inc. was the general contractor for a Missouri bank project. OSHA observed a subcontractor's employee working from an aerial lift without a body belt and attached lanyard, then climbing from the lift basket onto a nearby roof. Universal's own employees were not…
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.