131176 - JS FIBER CO., INC.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, 131176 - JS FIBER CO., INC. — a curtain and linen mills facility located at 290 MARBLE ROAD, STATESVILLE, NC 28625 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 31 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $18,300.00. The inspection case was opened on 2016-08-19.

The volume of citations issued during this inspection suggests systematic compliance deficiencies rather than isolated incidents. Facilities with 10 or more citations typically face comprehensive abatement requirements and may be subject to follow-up inspections.

BLS Injury Data: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022), this industry sector has an occupational injury rate of 3.3 per 100 full-time workers — 22% above the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 2.3 per 100,000 workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $18,300.00 is more than 2.1× the national average of $8,527.19 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 314120). This sector encompasses 24,420 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $208.2M.

State Context: Within NC, this facility's penalty places it at the 99th percentile among 88,256 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $1,699.39.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 31 citations spanning 6 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 15 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning December 2, 2016 with the latest abatement deadline set for April 30, 2017. Of the 31 total citations, 0 (0%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $18,300.00 reflects OSHA's gravity-based penalty calculation methodology, which considers the severity of potential injury, the probability of occurrence, the employer's size, good faith, and violation history. The per-citation average of $590.32 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement record for JS Fiber Co., Inc. revealed a pervasive breakdown in fundamental safety management systems, characterized by high-frequency citations across critical physical hazard categories. The volume of violations—totaling 31 distinct items—indicated a systemic failure rather than isolated technical oversights. Specifically, the heavy concentration of citations under 1910.219 and 1910.212 pointed to a chronic neglect of mechanical power-transmission guarding, exposing employees to severe entanglement and amputation risks from unguarded belts, pulleys, and shafts. This mechanical exposure was compounded by a failure to implement a robust Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) program under 1910.147, leaving workers vulnerable to the