AMERICAN EXCELSIOR COMPANY

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, AMERICAN EXCELSIOR COMPANY — a all other miscellaneous wood product manufacturing facility located at 831 PIONEER AVE., RICE LAKE, WI 54868 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 66 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $101,668.50. The inspection case was opened on 2018-04-09.

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.

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 $101,668.50 is more than 12.1× the national average of $8,414.32 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 321999). This sector encompasses 52,095 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $438.3M.

State Context: Within WI, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 43,331 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,505.68.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 66 citations spanning 10 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 14 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 1 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning March 25, 1999 with the latest abatement deadline set for June 9, 2003. Of the 66 total citations, 15 (23%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $101,668.50 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 $1,540.43 falls within the standard penalty range.

The 2018 enforcement action against American Excelsior Company revealed a profound and systemic breakdown of fundamental