BI-QEM, INC.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, BI-QEM, INC. — a manufacturing facility located at 238 NONOTUCK ST., FLORENCE, MA 01062 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 33 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $149,988.00. The inspection case was opened on 2022-10-25.

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 $149,988.00 is more than 17.8× the national average of $8,414.32 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 325211). This sector encompasses 52,095 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $438.3M.

State Context: Within MA, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 60,671 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $2,824.83.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 33 citations spanning 10 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 January 15, 2020 with the latest abatement deadline set for October 31, 2022. Of the 33 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 $149,988.00 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 $4,545.09 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement profile for BI-QEM, Inc. reveals a deeply entrenched pattern of safety negligence, characterized by a staggering 33 citations and a six-figure penalty that far exceeds industry averages for plastics resin manufacturing. The presence of a repeat violation under 1910.22(a)(1) for walking-working surfaces is a critical indicator of a failed safety culture; it demonstrates that management was previously alerted to housekeeping or floor maintenance hazards but failed to implement sustainable corrective actions. This systemic failure extended into high-risk domains, including respiratory protection (1910.134), hazard communication (1910.1200), and electrical safety in hazardous locations (1910.307). For the workforce, these gaps represented an immediate threat of catastrophic events, such as dust explosions or chemical exposure, particularly given the facility's classification under NAICS 325211. The gravity of the 1910.307 citation suggests that the employer allowed electrical