CORBITT MANUFACTURING COMPANY
According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, CORBITT MANUFACTURING COMPANY — a manufacturing facility located at 1200 JONES RD, PARAGOULD, AR 72450 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 21 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $81,500.00. The inspection case was opened on 2019-07-16.
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 $81,500.00 is more than 12.7× the national average of $6,436.62 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 331513). This sector encompasses 82,943 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $533.9M.
State Context: Within AR, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 15,726 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $2,714.64.
Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 21 citations spanning 12 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 8 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm. 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.
Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning June 2, 2017 with the latest abatement deadline set for January 24, 2020. Of the 21 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 $81,500.00 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 $3,880.95 falls within the standard penalty range.
The 2019 enforcement action against Corbitt Manufacturing Company revealed a fragmented safety culture characterized by widespread physical and administrative failures. The assessment of twenty-one citations, totaling $81,500 in penalties, indicates a severity level significantly higher than the industry average for steel foundries of this size, where typical fines for initial inspections often trend lower. The presence of a General Duty Clause (5(a)(1)) violation, carrying a maximum-tier $10,000 penalty, suggests that inspectors identified recognized hazards for which no specific standard existed, yet management failed to mitigate known risks of serious physical harm. A critical pattern emerged regarding the facility's electrical and mechanical infrastructure. The clustering of violations under 1910.303, 1910.305, and 1910.307 indicates systemic negligence in electrical safety, particularly concerning equipment in hazardous locations and improper wiring methods. For workers, this translated to heightened risks of electrocution and arc flash incidents. Furthermore, the combination of machine guarding (1910.212) and lockout/tagout (1910.147) deficiencies exposed personnel to catastrophic amputation or crushing injuries during routine operations and maintenance. These were not isolated lapses; the breadth of standards cited—ranging from fire protection and floor maintenance to PPE and recordkeeping—points to a foundational collapse in the facility’s Safety and Health Management System (SHMS).