CONTINENTAL GRAIN CO

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, CONTINENTAL GRAIN CO — a industry sector 00 facility located at 720 W RIVER RD, PASCO, WA 99301 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 26 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $57,150.00. The inspection case was opened on 1998-08-18.

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.

State Context: Within WA, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 126,183 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $1,683.96.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 26 citations spanning 11 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 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. 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.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning July 18, 1995 with the latest abatement deadline set for December 16, 1996. Of the 26 total citations, 6 (23%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $57,150.00 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 $2,198.08 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement action at this grain handling facility revealed a systemic breakdown in safety management, evidenced by the high volume of citations and a total penalty that significantly exceeded industry averages for the late 1990s. The concentration of Serious violations focused on grain-specific standards suggests that the employer failed to mitigate the primary catastrophic risks inherent to the industry: combustible dust explosions and engulfment. Specifically, the citations involving housekeeping, electrical integrity, and mechanical safeguards indicate a hazardous environment where ignition sources were likely present in the vicinity of accumulated grain dust. For workers, these deficiencies represented a constant threat of flash fires or structural failure. The sheer breadth of the 26 citations—spanning electrical safety, walking-working surfaces, and