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 obo Jacob Hamilton v. Small Mine Development
Secretary of Labor obo Jacob Hamilton v. Small Mine Development (FMSHRC WEST 2021-0069): After-acquired evidence excluded from reinstatement hearing
Before Jacob Hamilton's temporary-reinstatement hearing, the Secretary sought to exclude evidence that would create credibility conflicts or support Small Mine Development's rebuttal and affirmative defenses. Judge David Simonton held that the operator could present relevant testimony and documents…
Secretary of Labor obo William R. Whitmore v. Yager Materials Corp.
Secretary of Labor obo William R. Whitmore v. Yager Materials Corp. (FMSHRC KENT 2020-0116 DM, KENT 2020-0117 DM): Safety manager temporarily reinstated
William Whitmore, Yager Materials' maintenance manager, alleged that he reported training problems, COVID-19 protocol concerns, a haul-truck near miss, and equipment safety defects. Yager suspended and fired him soon afterward, stating that he made inappropriate comments about extending a new…
Secretary of Labor obo William R. Whitmore v. Yager Materials Corp.
Secretary of Labor obo William R. Whitmore v. Yager Materials Corp. (FMSHRC KENT 2020-0116 DM, KENT 2020-0117 DM): Limited prehearing disclosure ordered
Before William Whitmore's temporary-reinstatement hearing, Yager Materials sought interview statements, management-witness materials, hearing exhibits, and documents used by MSHA's investigator. Judge William Moran held that fairness required the Secretary to provide Whitmore's own interview…
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review, an ALJ decision becomes a final order under 29 U.S.C. § 661(j): it binds the parties in that case but is not binding precedent in other cases.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.