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. Cactus Canyon Quarries, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Cactus Canyon Quarries, Inc. (FMSHRC CENT 2023-0045): Stone-processing plant held subject to MSHA
Cactus Canyon challenged MSHA's authority over its Fairland Plant, a surface facility that washes, sorts, crushes, sizes, and roasts stone for terrazzo flooring. The Commission held that those activities constitute milling, so the facility is a mine under the Mine Act even though most stone is…
Secretary of Labor v. Cactus Canyon Quarries, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Cactus Canyon Quarries, Inc. (FMSHRC CENT 2022-0010): Electrical citations and MSHA jurisdiction affirmed
MSHA cited three electrical conditions at Cactus Canyon's Fairland Plant, which crushes and sizes stone for terrazzo flooring. The company argued that the facility was outside Mine Act jurisdiction because extraction did not occur on or near the site. The Commission held that crushing and sizing…
Secretary of Labor v. Cactus Canyon Quarries, Inc.
Secretary of Labor v. Cactus Canyon Quarries, Inc. (FMSHRC CENT 2023-0045): Jurisdiction briefing resumed
The Commission had stayed briefing in these eleven consolidated civil-penalty dockets in October 2024. It lifted that stay and directed the parties to resume briefing under Commission Rule 75. The specified issue was whether the stone-finishing plant qualifies as a mine subject to MSHA jurisdiction…
Secretary of Labor v. Bradley T. Wiley, et al. and Vulcan Materials Company v. Secretary of Labor
Secretary of Labor v. Bradley T. Wiley, et al. (FMSHRC SE 2023-0013): MSHA jurisdiction attached before quarry production began
Vulcan was preparing a Georgia property for a future stone quarry when a Terra Excavating employee died in a compactor rollover before extraction or processing had begun. Vulcan, Terra, and contractor Bradley Wiley argued that MSHA lacked jurisdiction because the site was still in development. The…
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.