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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Secretary of Labor v. Morton Salt, Inc. & Quinn Norwood
Secretary of Labor v. Morton Salt and Quinn Norwood (FMSHRC CENT 2022-0135): Blasting violation and individual liability affirmed
Morton Salt initiated three explosive rounds at its underground Weeks Island salt mine while four contractors remained underground and their tags still showed them in the mine. The judge affirmed a violation of 30 C.F.R. § 57.22601(a), finding that the incident was significant and substantial…
Secretary of Labor v. Billy Cooper Stone Co., Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Billy Cooper Stone Co. (FMSHRC CENT 2023-0216): Guarding and berm citations affirmed with reductions
MSHA cited Billy Cooper Stone for operating a stone splitter without required guards and for a missing berm along a narrow mine road with an eight-foot drop-off. The judge found evidence that the splitter had been used unguarded and held that the company remained responsible for road safety where…
Secretary of Labor v. Billy Cooper Stone Co., Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Billy Cooper Stone Co. (FMSHRC CENT 2023-0216): Original guarding and berm decision later amended
MSHA cited Billy Cooper Stone for an unguarded stone splitter and a missing berm along a narrow road with an eight-foot drop-off. The judge affirmed both citations but reduced negligence to low for each and changed the berm citation to unlikely injury and non-S&S. He assessed $350 for the guarding…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2021-0118): Slurry citation reduced to non-S&S
CONSOL's Bailey Mine preparation plant had wet coal slurry and fine magnetite covering a walkway near a step, with a leaking pipe overhead and a missing light. CONSOL conceded that the accumulation violated the travelway standard. Judge Sullivan found that the material could obscure the step, but…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2021-0084): Machine, electrical, and mapping citations affirmed
MSHA cited Consol's underground Bailey Mine for a missing keeper pin on a longwall shield, cracked light globes on a continuous miner, and failure to plot a drill hole that penetrated the coalbed. Judge Michael Young found that the missing pin created a projectile hazard and the cracked globes…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2021-0084): Three citations affirmed in original ruling
MSHA cited Consol's underground Bailey Mine for a missing keeper pin on a longwall shield, cracked light globes on a continuous miner, and failure to plot a drill hole that penetrated the coalbed. Judge Michael Young found that the missing pin created a projectile hazard and the cracked globes…
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company, LLC (FMSHRC PENN 2021-0047): Unguarded belt drive citation affirmed as S&S
CONSOL Pennsylvania Coal Company operates the Harvey Mine, an underground coal mine in Pennsylvania. MSHA cited the company after an inspector found that a moving belt drive roller beside a narrow wooden walkway had no guard in front of it. Judge Alan G. Paez found that miners could use the walkway…
Secretary of Labor v. P.W. Gillibrand of Texas, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. P.W. Gillibrand of Texas, Inc. (FMSHRC CENT 2021-0104): Missing fire-warning sign violation affirmed
P.W. Gillibrand of Texas operates the Voca West sand plant in Texas. MSHA cited the mine because its grease station lacked a visible sign prohibiting smoking and open flames. Judge David P. Simonton found a fire hazard because an open drip barrel contained combustible paper and rags beside grease…
Secretary of Labor v. Bragg Crane Service
Secretary of Labor v. Bragg Crane Service (FMSHRC WEST 2019-0303): Suspended-load penalty reduced to $200
Bragg Crane Service used a crane to move a 40,000-pound hopper at Spanish Springs Pit #6. Judge David Simonton found that a Bragg employee briefly entered the established 10-foot fall zone around the suspended load, violating the rule that persons stay clear of suspended loads, but the evidence did…
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.