ASK PRODUCTS, INC.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, ASK PRODUCTS, INC. — a forging and stamping facility located at 626 HIGHLAND AVENUE, AURORA, IL 60506 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 35 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $24,000.00. The inspection case was opened on 2003-01-23.

Federal investigators determined that one or more violations at this facility were committed willfully — meaning the employer either knowingly failed to comply with OSHA standards or acted with plain indifference to employee safety. Willful violations carry the highest penalty multipliers under the OSH Act.

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.

EPA Environmental Record: The EPA shows no current violations for this facility. regulated under: RCRA Hazardous Waste. Source: EPA ECHO database.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $24,000.00 is more than 3.7× the national average of $6,436.62 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 332116). This sector encompasses 82,943 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $533.9M.

State Context: Within IL, this facility's penalty places it at the 98th percentile among 88,899 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,496.90.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 35 citations spanning 10 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 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 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm. 1 willful — The employer intentionally and knowingly committed the violation, demonstrating either an intentional disregard for the requirements of the OSH Act or plain indifference to employee safety and health.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning June 5, 2003 with the latest abatement deadline set for July 29, 2004. Of the 35 total citations, 12 (34%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $24,000.00 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 $685.71 falls within the standard penalty range.

The 2003 enforcement action against Ask Products, Inc. reveals a facility struggling with foundational administrative controls and high-hazard operational safeguards. The presence of a Willful violation under 1910.147(d)(4)(i) serves as the focal point of this inspection, signaling a deliberate disregard for lockout/tagout (LOTO) verification procedures. In a metal stamping environment (NAICS 332116), the failure to ensure energy isolation before maintenance is a critical systemic flaw that exposes workers to catastrophic amputation or crushing injuries. This Willful designation, carrying a disproportionate $13,000 penalty, indicates that management was either aware of the hazardous condition or acted with plain indifference to employee safety, elevating the legal risk profile of the firm significantly beyond typical industry peers. Beyond the LOTO failures, the citation patterns suggest a broad breakdown in technical compliance, specifically regarding occupational noise exposure (1910.95), machine guarding (1910.217, 1910.219), and electrical safety (1910.303, 1910.305). The repeated "Serious" classifications for failing to provide audiometric testing and hearing protection training point to a lack of a cohesive industrial hygiene program. While individual penalties for guarding and electrical violations were relatively low, their cumulative volume across 35 citations reflects a reactive safety culture where hazards were allowed to proliferate until external intervention. This record depicts a facility where the absence of a robust safety management system transformed routine metalworking operations into a high-risk environment characterized by preventable mechanical and environmental hazards.