Piling it on: A roundup of recent OSHA penalties that were north of $100,000

OSHA’s recent proposal of $16.6 million in penalties in a deadly explosion at a Kleen Energy Systems construction site in Connecticut drew a lot of attention. Less noticed, but in a way equally significant, were the day-in, day-out announcement of penalties in other cases that exceeded $100,000.

The Patton Boggs law firm rounded up recent $100,000-plus cases filed by OSHA and found 27. Those were in addition to a series of cases against U.S. Postal Service facilities around the country with penalties that totaled more than $3.7 million.

The size and number of these cases illustrate that OSHA is making good on its pledge to substantially increase enforcement.

The 27 cases totaled $11.2 million in fines. Here is the list:

• AAR Summa Technology (AL), $191,500
• American Seafoods International, LLC (MA), $279,000
• AmeriCold Logistics, LLC (ID), $189,000
• Bridon American Corp. (PA), $156,000
• Edac Technologies Corp. (CT), $130,000
• Enbridge G&P, LP (TX), $152,100
• E.N. Range (FL), $2.1 million
• Excelsior Brass Workers (PA), $550,400
• Goodman Manufacturing Co., LP (TX), $1.2 million
• Home Depot (NY), $112,000
• Jarden Home Brands (TX), $197,500
• Kenton Iron Products, LLC (OH), $214,500
• Kirkhill Manufacturing Co. (GA), $125,650
• Krestmark Industries, LP (TX), $129,500
• Matthews Manufacturing, Inc. (MO), $260,200
• Phenix Lumber Co. (AL), $439,400
• Pierce Industries (NY), $114,750
• Rexnord Industries, LLC (WI), $130,500
• Sally Sherman Foods (NY), $247,050
• Sturgis Tuckpointing (MO), $221,600
• Thermal Polymer Systems, LLC (TX), $161,600
• U.S. Minerals, LLC (IN), $158,200
• U.S. Salt (NY), $111,600
• Whitcraft, LLC (CT), $139,680
• Whitesell Corp. (AL), $3.1 million
• Wireglass Construction, Inc. (AL), $287,500
• Worthen Industries (NH), $225,400

This serves as yet another reminder that companies need to take proactive steps to insure that their safety performance will withstand OSHA scrutiny. For some tips on that kind of proactivity, see my article “How to meet the challenge of greatly increased OSHA enforcement.”

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