BRIDGFORD FOOD PROCESSING CORPORATION

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, BRIDGFORD FOOD PROCESSING CORPORATION — a meat processed from carcasses facility located at 170 N. GREEN STREET, CHICAGO, IL 60607 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 40 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $184,810.00. The inspection case was opened on 2012-02-14.

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.

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.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $184,810.00 is more than 21.7× the national average of $8,527.19 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 311612). This sector encompasses 24,420 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $208.2M.

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 40 citations spanning 9 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 9 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm. 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.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning January 4, 2008 with the latest abatement deadline set for August 7, 2012. Of the 40 total citations, 13 (33%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $184,810.00 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 $4,620.25 falls within the standard penalty range.

The 2012 enforcement action against Bridgford Food Processing Corporation, resulting in nearly $185,000 in penalties across 40 citations, signaled a pervasive breakdown in the facility’s safety management systems. The sheer breadth of the violations—spanning machine guarding, lockout/tagout, confined space entry, and hazard communication—indicates a systemic failure rather than isolated technical lapses. For workers, this regulatory profile translated into daily exposure to high-gravity