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. W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Company
Secretary of Labor v. W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Company (FMSHRC SE 2023-0094): Hot-work fire citation affirmed
Yates was cutting steel in a phosphate mine building when hot slag entered an uncovered drain and ignited a rubber-lined discharge pipe. The fire burned for about 17 minutes, produced thick black smoke, and required the mine rescue team to extinguish it after six fire extinguishers proved…
Secretary of Labor v. W.G. Yates & Son’s Construction Company
Secretary of Labor v. W.G. Yates & Son’s Construction Company (FMSHRC SE 2023-0094): Hot-work fire citation affirmed before Commission review
W.G. Yates was cutting steel in a phosphate mine building when hot slag entered an uncovered drain and ignited rubber lining inside a discharge pipe. The fire burned for about 17 minutes, produced thick black smoke, and resisted six fire extinguishers before the mine's emergency team put it out…
Secretary of Labor v. Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC
Secretary of Labor v. Vulcan Construction Materials (FMSHRC SE 2023-0117): Unguarded ladderway citation affirmed
MSHA cited Vulcan Construction Materials because the opening at the top of a fixed ladder to an elevated conveyor walkway lacked a chain, gate, railing, or warning signal. Vulcan argued that the opening was not near a travelway and that miners did not work near it. The judge found that miners used…
Secretary of Labor v. Sunbelt Rentals, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Sunbelt Rentals, Inc. (FMSHRC VA 2013-0291 M): Examination violation affirmed and penalty remanded
A Sunbelt employee was injured by material falling inside a cement-plant preheat vessel after the company's examiner inspected the upper compartment only from portholes one floor below. The Commission affirmed that the entire vessel was a working place and that an adequate examination required…
Secretary of Labor v. Hoover Excavating & Trucking, Inc., and its successors and Secretary of Labor v. Reginald S. Hoover, employed by Hoover Excavating & Trucking, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Hoover Excavating & Trucking, Inc. and Reginald S. Hoover (FMSHRC WEST 2019-0277): Blasting violations and agent liability affirmed
A blast detonated prematurely at Hoover Excavating's surface stone mine while eight miners remained in the pit area, and three miners were seriously injured by flyrock and debris. Judge Margaret A. Miller found that mine owner Reginald Hoover ignored the initiating device's warning not to connect…
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.