[United States Government Manual]
[June 01, 2008]
[Pages 487-489]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION

1120 Twentieth Street NW., Washington, DC 20036-3457

Phone, 202-606-5050. Fax, 202-418-3017. Internet, www.oshrc.gov.
Chairman                                          Horace A. Thompson
Commissioners                                     Thomasina V. Rogers, 
                                                          (vacancy)
    General Counsel                               Alexander Fernandez
    Chief Administrative Law Judge                Irving Sommer
    Director, Office of Administration            Richard C. Loeb
    Executive Secretary                           Ray H. Darling, Jr.

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The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission ensures the timely 
and fair resolution of cases involving the alleged exposure of American 
workers to unsafe or unhealthy working conditions.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission is an independent, 
quasi-judicial agency established by the Occupational Safety and Health 
Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. 651-678).
    The Commission rules on cases when disagreements arise over the 
results of safety and health inspections performed by the Department of 
Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Employers 
have the right to dispute any alleged job safety or health violation 
found during the inspection by OSHA, the penalties it proposes, and the 
time given to correct any hazardous situation.
    The Occupational Safety and Health Act covers virtually every 
employer in the country. Its purpose is to reduce the incidence of 
personal injuries, illness, and deaths among working men and women in 
the United States that result from their employment. It requires 
employers to provide a working environment free from recognized hazards 
that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to 
the employees and to comply with occupational safety and health 
standards promulgated under the act.

Activities

The Commission was created to adjudicate enforcement actions initiated 
under the act when they are contested by employers, employees, or 
representatives of employees. A case arises when a citation, issued to 
an employer as the result of an OSHA

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inspection, is contested within 15 working days of receipt of the 
report.
    There are two levels of adjudication within the Commission. All 
cases are first assigned to an administrative law judge. A hearing is 
generally held in the community or as close as possible to where the 
alleged violation occurred. After the hearing, the judge issues a 
decision, based on findings of fact and conclusions of law.
    A substantial number of the judge's decisions become final orders of 
the Commission. However, if a party petitions the Commission members for 
review of the judge's decision and the petition is granted, Commission 
members will issue the final order.
    After a final order is issued, any party to the case may seek a 
review of the decision in the United States Courts of Appeals.
    The Commission's principal office is in Washington, DC. 
Administrative law judges are also located in two regional offices.

                            Regional Offices
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                      City/Address                           Telephone
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Atlanta, GA (Rm. 2R90, Bldg. 1924, 100 Alabama St. SW.,     404-562-1640
 30303-3104)............................................
Denver, CO (Rm. 250, 1244 N. Speer Blvd., 80204-3582)...    303-844-3409
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Sources of Information

Publications  Copies of the Commission's Rules of Procedure, Guide to 
Review Commission Procedures, Guide to Simplified Proceedings, and 
Employee Guide to Review Commission Procedures: Supplement to the Guide 
to Review Commission Procedures, and decisions are available from the 
Office of the Executive Secretary. Phone, 202-606-5400. Fax, 202-606-
5050. Internet, www.oshrc.gov.

For further information, contact the Director, Office of Administration, 
Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, 1120 Twentieth Street 
NW., Washington, DC 20036-3457. Phone, 202-606-5050. Fax, 202-418-3017. 
Internet, www.oshrc.gov.

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EDITORIAL NOTE: The Office of the Director of National Intelligence did 
not meet the publication deadline for submitting updated information of 
its activities, functions, and sources of information as required by the 
automatic disclosure provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (5 
U.S.C. 552(a)(1)(A)).

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