BROWNING LUMBER COMPANY

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, BROWNING LUMBER COMPANY — a industry sector 00 facility located at ROUTE 85 SOUTH, BALD KNOB, WV 25010 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 37 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $154,800.00. The inspection case was opened on 1999-11-29.

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.

State Context: Within WV, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 14,536 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,060.20.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 37 citations spanning 8 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 7 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. 2 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 August 13, 1996 with the latest abatement deadline set for September 30, 1999. Of the 37 total citations, 13 (35%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $154,800.00 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 $4,183.78 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement record for Browning Lumber Company reveals a profoundly deficient safety culture characterized by systemic disregard for fundamental industrial