BEHR IRON & STEEL, INC

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, BEHR IRON & STEEL, INC — a recyclable material merchant wholesalers facility located at 2424 W. CLARKE ST., PEORIA, IL 61607 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 13 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $121,000.00. The inspection case was opened on 2014-09-22.

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.

BLS Injury Data: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022), this industry sector has an occupational injury rate of 2.6 per 100 full-time workers — near the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 4.4 per 100,000 workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $121,000.00 is more than 23.3× the national average of $5,185.75 for facilities in the Wholesale sector (NAICS 423930). This sector encompasses 30,869 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $160.1M.

State Context: Within IL, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 88,899 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,496.90.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 13 citations spanning 1 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 4 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 9 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 March 3, 2015 with the latest abatement deadline set for March 20, 2015. Of the 13 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 $121,000.00 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 $9,307.69 falls within the standard penalty range.

The inspection of Behr Iron & Steel, Inc. revealed a catastrophic systemic failure to implement a Permit-