2200 Subpart A
You must include the employer's name, the OSHRC docket number, the year of the decision, and a citation to a print or electronic source. See 2200.12(a)(1), which requires those four elements and accepts citations to decisions published on the Commission website.
Format a print citation with the employer name, reporter citation, page, docket number, and year, for example: Hackensack Steel Corp., 20 BNA OSHC 1387, 1388 (No. 97-0755, 2003). See 2200.12(a)(1)(i) and the specific print examples at 2200.12(a)(1)(i)(A) and 2200.12(a)(1)(i)(B).
Cite the decision with the employer name, OSHRC docket number, the database citation (e.g., Westlaw or LEXIS), the pinpoint (if available), and the decision date, for example: Hackensack Steel Corp., No. 97-0755, 2003 WL 22232017, at *4 (OSHRC Sept. 25, 2003). See 2200.12(a)(1)(ii) and the electronic examples at 2200.12(a)(1)(ii)(A) and 2200.12(a)(1)(ii)(B).
Cite PDF versions with a page number and HTML versions with a paragraph number, for example: Jacobs Field Servs. N. Am., No. 10-2659, at 5 (OSHRC 2015) for a PDF, or Jacobs Field Servs. N. Am., No. 10-2659, at ¶ 9 (OSHRC 2015) for HTML. See 2200.12(a)(1)(iii), and the PDF and HTML examples at 2200.12(a)(1)(iii)(A) and 2200.12(a)(1)(iii)(B).
You must identify decisions by a Judge, a digest, or the opinion of a single Commissioner as non-precedential by including a parenthetical such as “(ALJ)” or a similar note. See 2200.12(a)(2), which requires parenthetical language when the cited decision is non-precedential.
You should cite the official reporter whenever possible; give the full reporter citation including volume, reporter, and page numbers as shown in examples. See 2200.12(b)(1) and the example at 2200.12(b)(1)(i).
Cite Supreme Court decisions to the official U.S. Reports when possible, using the standard citation format (case name, volume U.S. page, and year), as exemplified by Martin v. OSHRC (CF & I Steel Corp.), 499 U.S. 144, 150-51 (1991). See 2200.12(b)(1)(ii).
You must include in parentheses the name of the employer as it appeared in the Commission proceeding when the first-listed party on either side is the Secretary, the Commission, or a labor union. See 2200.12(b)(2) and the illustrative examples given there.
Yes—citations to Commission and ALJ decisions published on the Commission's website are acceptable as proper sources for citation. See 2200.12(a)(1), which explicitly accepts website-published decisions on www.oshrc.gov.
Yes—OSHA posts citations and proposed penalties on its website for inspections conducted since the beginning of OSHA. The OSHA letter of interpretation dated Sep 27, 2004 confirms that OSHA makes such information available online as public information.
Most settlement agreements are not posted to the OSHA website, but OSHA posts major agreements and treats settlement agreements as public information subject to FOIA; employers generally cannot force OSHA to keep a public settlement agreement off the site. See the OSHA letter of interpretation dated Sep 27, 2004, which explains that major settlement agreements are posted while most settlement agreements are not placed on the website but remain subject to FOIA disclosure.
No—OSHA maintains citations, proposed penalties, and news releases on its website going back to the start of OSHA and does not remove them simply because they are older; the website content reflects public records available under FOIA. See the OSHA letter of interpretation dated Sep 27, 2004, which explains OSHA's policy of posting historical materials consistent with FOIA and the Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments.
When citing a PDF version from the Commission website, include the page number of the PDF where the cited material appears. See 2200.12(a)(1)(iii)(A), which instructs that PDF citations should identify the relevant page number.
When citing an HTML version from the Commission website, include the paragraph number rather than a page number, for example: Jacobs Field Servs. N. Am., No. 10-2659, at ¶ 9 (OSHRC 2015). See 2200.12(a)(1)(iii)(B), which requires identifying the relevant paragraph number for HTML versions.