ASTORIA METALS CORP

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, ASTORIA METALS CORP — a industry sector 00 facility located at DRYDOCK #4, HUNTERS POINT NAVAL SHIPYARD, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94188 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 22 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $415,900.00. The inspection case was opened on 1997-04-09.

This facility represents one of the most severe enforcement actions in the OSHA SVEP database. Willful violations combined with penalties exceeding $100,000 indicate a pattern of deliberate non-compliance that poses an imminent danger to workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $415,900.00 is more than 347.8× the national average of $1,195.75 for facilities in the Other sector (NAICS 000000). This sector encompasses 1,316,687 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $1,574.4M.

State Context: Within CA, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 184,062 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,010.44.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 22 citations spanning 11 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 6 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 5 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. 3 repeat — A substantially similar violation was found during a previous inspection and the original citation has become a final order. 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 July 18, 1997 with the latest abatement deadline set for August 13, 1997. Of the 22 total citations, 15 (68%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, suggesting partial progress toward required corrective actions.

Penalty Assessment: The per-citation average of $18,904.55 exceeds OSHA's FY2024 statutory maximum of $16,131 for serious violations, indicating the presence of willful or repeat classifications that carry enhanced penalty authority under Section 17 of the OSH Act.

The 1997 inspection of Astoria Metals Corporation’s drydock operations revealed a catastrophic breakdown of safety management, evidenced by the staggering $415,900 penalty—an extraordinary sum for the shipbreaking and repair sector during that era. The presence of five distinct "Willful" violations, each carrying maximum or near-maximum gravity ratings, indicates that management demonstrated an intentional disregard for, or plain indifference to, worker safety. Specifically, the citations under 1910.0023 and 1915.0075 point to a pervasive failure to provide fall protection and secure walking-working surfaces, hazards that are frequently fatal in a naval shipyard environment. Furthermore, the willful violation of lead exposure standards (1910.1025) suggests that the company knowingly permitted employees to work in toxic environments without required biological monitoring or engineering controls, a failure that often triggers criminal referral under Section 17(e) of the OSH Act if a fatality occurs. The high frequency of "Repeat" violations regarding hazard communication and electrical safety further underscores a systemic refusal to implement corrective actions from previous inspections. Rather than isolated mechanical failures, these citations depict a facility where fundamental life-safety protocols were treated as optional. The combination of falls, toxic metal exposure, and inadequate crane/hoisting safety (1915.0055) created a multi-hazard environment where the probability of a catastrophic event was statistically certain. For compliance professionals, this case serves as a landmark example of how regulatory negligence in high-hazard maritime industrial zones can lead to massive financial liability and heightened federal scrutiny.