CHS, INC,

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, CHS, INC, — a petroleum refineries facility located at 803 HWY 212 SOUTH, LAUREL, MT 59044 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 43 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $100,500.00. The inspection case was opened on 2007-09-21.

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.

EPA Environmental Record: The EPA currently lists this facility under Violation Identified status. EPA penalties total $138,600.00 (Clean Water Act: $138,600.00). Source: EPA ECHO database.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $100,500.00 is more than 11.9× the national average of $8,414.32 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 324110). This sector encompasses 52,095 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $438.3M.

State Context: Within MT, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 9,480 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $2,110.71.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 43 citations spanning 2 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 7 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm. 8 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 July 13, 2007 with the latest abatement deadline set for January 19, 2010. Of the 43 total citations, 7 (16%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $100,500.00 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 $2,337.21 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement action against CHS, Inc.’s Laurel refinery reveals a systemic breakdown in Process Safety