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. Appalachian Resource West Virginia, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Appalachian Resource West Virginia, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2022-0428): Failure-to-abate order disclosure certified
This reallocated docket included a haul-truck citation under 30 C.F.R. § 77.1606(c) for ten safety defects. The inspector granted additional time for repairs, but the record then showed that a section 104(b) failure-to-abate order had been issued. The Secretary sought settlement approval at the…
Secretary of Labor v. Appalachian Resource West Virginia, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Appalachian Resource West Virginia, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2022-0301): Failure-to-abate disclosure question certified
The Secretary sought approval of a settlement covering numerous mobile-equipment citations but refused the Judge’s repeated requests for seven associated section 104(b) failure-to-abate orders. Counsel for Appalachian Resource West Virginia confirmed the orders and supplied information that the…
Secretary of Labor v. Knight Hawk Coal, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Knight Hawk Coal, LLC (FMSHRC LAKE 2021-0160): S&S settlement question certified for review
Knight Hawk Coal and the Secretary proposed settling three citations by removing the significant and substantial designation from two and reducing total penalties from $7,960 to $4,590. Judge Michael G. Young accepted the explanation for one S&S removal but found insufficient factual support for…
Secretary of Labor v. Holcim (US) Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Holcim (US) Inc. (FMSHRC YORK 2021-0023): Citation-vacatur question certified for review
Holcim and the Secretary proposed settling thirteen citations by vacating four, modifying or leaving nine unchanged, and reducing total penalties from $28,148 to $17,843. The Secretary did not provide information supporting the vacaturs or state that they were independent of the rest of the…
Secretary of Labor v. Greenbrier Minerals, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Greenbrier Minerals, LLC (FMSHRC WEVA 2021-0294): Citation-vacatur question certified for review
Greenbrier Minerals and the Secretary proposed settling six citations by vacating two, leaving four unchanged, and reducing total penalties from $1,960 to $1,213. The Secretary relied only on asserted prosecutorial discretion as the explanation for the vacaturs. Judge Michael G. Young held that…
Secretary of Labor v. Crimson Oak Grove Resources LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Crimson Oak Grove Resources LLC (FMSHRC SE 2021-0134): Citation-vacatur question certified for review
Crimson Oak Grove Resources and the Secretary proposed settling five citations by vacating one, modifying or leaving four unchanged, and reducing total penalties from $29,497 to $11,672. The Secretary did not provide information supporting the vacatur or state that it was independent of the rest of…
Secretary of Labor v. Crimson Oak Grove Resources LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Crimson Oak Grove Resources LLC (FMSHRC SE 2021-0112): Citation-vacatur question certified for review
Crimson Oak Grove Resources and the Secretary proposed resolving three citations by vacating one, leaving two unchanged, and reducing total penalties from $1,154 to $1,029. Judge Michael G. Young treated the motion to dismiss as a settlement because the vacatur appeared tied to the operator's…
Secretary of Labor v. River City Stone-DIV/Mathy Construction Co.
Secretary of Labor v. River City Stone-DIV/Mathy Construction Co. (FMSHRC LAKE 2021-0145): Citation-vacatur question certified for review
River City Stone and the Secretary proposed resolving two citations by vacating one, leaving the other unchanged, and reducing total penalties from $250 to $125. Judge Michael G. Young treated the motion to dismiss as a settlement because the vacatur appeared tied to the operator's agreement to pay…
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.