ASARCO, INC.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, ASARCO, INC. — a industry sector 00 facility located at 100 SMELTER ROAD, EAST HELENA, MT 59635 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 213 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $836,900.00. The inspection case was opened on 1989-03-06.

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.

State Context: Within MT, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 9,480 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $2,110.71.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 213 citations spanning 5 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 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. 12 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 2 unclassified — A technical violation that does not fit neatly into the standard classification categories.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning March 26, 1991 with the latest abatement deadline set for November 5, 2002. Of the 213 total citations, 6 (3%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $836,900.00 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 $3,929.11 falls within the standard penalty range.

The 1989 enforcement action against ASARCO’s East Helena smelter represents a landmark "megafine" era citation, characterized by a staggering $836,900 penalty and 21