BEKAERT CORPORATION
According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, BEKAERT CORPORATION — a manufacturing facility located at 1881 BEKAERT DRIVE, VAN BUREN, AR 72956 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 24 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $129,400.00. The inspection case was opened on 2016-07-06.
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.
Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $129,400.00 is more than 20.1× the national average of $6,436.62 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 331222). This sector encompasses 82,943 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $533.9M.
State Context: Within AR, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 15,726 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $2,714.64.
Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 24 citations spanning 8 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 11 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 3 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 repeat — A substantially similar violation was found during a previous inspection and the original citation has become a final order.
Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning November 24, 2006 with the latest abatement deadline set for June 15, 2015. Of the 24 total citations, 1 (4%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.
Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $129,400.00 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 $5,391.67 falls within the standard penalty range.
The inspection of Bekaert Corporation’s Van Buren facility revealed a deeply entrenched pattern of non-compliance, specifically regarding machine safeguarding and heavy metal exposure protocols. The assessment of a Repeat violation under 1910.212(a)(1), carrying the maximum gravity rating of 10, indicates a systemic failure by management to sustain corrective actions from prior citations. For workers, this translates to an unacceptably high risk of catastrophic caught-in or amputation injuries from unguarded rotating parts and points of operation—hazards inherent to high-speed steel wire drawing. The presence of multiple 1910.1025 (Lead) violations further underscores a breakdown in health hygiene, suggesting that employees were likely subjected to chronic lead ingestion or inhalation risks due to inadequate housekeeping