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. Virginia Drilling Company, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Virginia Drilling Company, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2019-0226): Default vacated for excusable neglect
Virginia Drilling timely contested a proposed penalty assessment but did not answer the later penalty petition or respond to an order to show cause, resulting in default. The company sought reopening shortly after receiving a delinquency notice and said it had not received an assignment and…
Secretary of Labor v. Industrial Process Equipment Constructors
Secretary of Labor v. Industrial Process Equipment Constructors (FMSHRC YORK 2018-0084): Family illness supported reopening two defaults
Industrial Process Equipment Constructors answered two show-cause orders late because the responsible employee mistakenly believed she had 30 days to respond. During that period, she was caring for several ill family members, her mother died, and the company had lost the secretary who normally…
Secretary of Labor v. Iron Mountain Quarry, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Iron Mountain Quarry, LLC (FMSHRC WEST 2019-0082): Unserved show-cause order prevented default
Iron Mountain Quarry did not answer a penalty petition, and an ALJ show-cause order appeared to convert into a default. The operator and its counsel had no record of receiving the petition or later documents, and the Secretary could not provide proof of delivery. The Commission found that the…
Secretary of Labor v. Image Materials
Secretary of Labor v. Image Materials (FMSHRC CENT 2020-0017): Allegedly lost answer sent back for good-cause finding
Image Materials defaulted after it appeared not to answer the Secretary's penalty petition or the ALJ's show-cause order. The operator said it timely sent its contest to MSHA's Dallas office and later sent it again to the Arlington office, but the filing was lost after receipt. The Secretary did…
Secretary of Labor v. Inwood Quarry, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Inwood Quarry, Inc. (FMSHRC WEVA 2019-0221): Address error supported vacating default
Inwood Quarry said it never received the hearing packet or the ALJ's show-cause order before the case defaulted. The penalty assessment form listed the company's correct post-office box, but the certificate of service and later show-cause order used a different address. The Secretary did not oppose…
Secretary of Labor v. North American Millwright Services, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. North American Millwright Services, Inc. (FMSHRC YORK 2019-0010): Good-faith payment supported vacating default
North American Millwright Services defaulted after it did not answer the Secretary's penalty petition or the ALJ's show-cause order. The operator sought reopening about 30 days after the penalties became delinquent and later paid the assessment in full. The Secretary did not oppose reopening but…
Theodore Oesau v. Rogers Group, Inc.
Theodore Oesau v. Rogers Group, Inc. (FMSHRC CENT 2019-0276-DM): Faxed review petition considered but denied
Theodore Oesau sought Commission review after an ALJ dismissed his discrimination complaint. His counsel filed the petition only by fax even though the Commission had warned that pandemic conditions prevented it from monitoring fax and physical mail. Because the rules still permitted fax filing…
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.