AKRON FOUNDRY COMPANY
According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, AKRON FOUNDRY COMPANY — a manufacturing facility located at 2728 WINGATE AVE., AKRON, OH 44314 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 19 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $106,378.00. The inspection case was opened on 2021-03-02.
Cumulative penalties significantly exceed the national median for OSHA enforcement actions. The penalty amount suggests multiple high-gravity citations, indicating conditions that presented a substantial probability of death or serious physical harm to employees.
Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $106,378.00 is more than 16.5× the national average of $6,436.62 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 331524). This sector encompasses 82,943 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $533.9M.
State Context: Within OH, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 91,405 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,818.37.
Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 19 citations spanning 7 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 11 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 4 repeat — A substantially similar violation was found during a previous inspection and the original citation has become a final order.
Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning March 25, 2021 with the latest abatement deadline set for April 4, 2022. Of the 19 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 $106,378.00 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 $5,598.84 falls within the standard penalty range.
The enforcement record for Akron Foundry Company reveals a deeply entrenched pattern of non-compliance, specifically regarding the Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout). The presence of multiple Repeat violations under 1910.147—including failures in energy control procedures and periodic inspections—indicates a chronic systemic breakdown rather than an isolated oversight. For workers, these lapses translate into a high-probability risk of crushing injuries, amputations, or fatalities during equipment maintenance, as the facility failed to ensure that machinery remained de-energized. The gravity of these citations, coupled with a six-figure penalty exceeding $100,000, reflects OSHA’s determination that the employer was on notice from prior inspections yet failed to implement permanent corrective actions. Beyond the LOTO failures, the inclusion of 1910.1026 violations suggests a secondary failure in industrial hygiene, specifically concerning Hexavalent Chromium exposure monitoring and medical surveillance. This combination of mechanical hazards and chemical exposure risks characterizes a workplace where fundamental safety management systems—ranging from mechanical guarding to respiratory protection and specialized PPE assessments—were consistently subordinated to production demands. The penalty severity is significantly higher than the industry average for non-ferrous foundries, signaling that regulators viewed the facility as a persistent offender regarding high-gravity, preventable hazards.