CPX2026XTN246X0063 - SOUTHWEST FABRICATION, L.L.C.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, CPX2026XTN246X0063 - SOUTHWEST FABRICATION, L.L.C. — a iron and steel mills and ferroalloy manufacturing facility located at 22233 NORTH 23RD AVENUE, PHOENIX, AZ 85027 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 19 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $38,067.00. The inspection case was opened on 2025-10-21.

The volume of citations issued during this inspection suggests systematic compliance deficiencies rather than isolated incidents. Facilities with 10 or more citations typically face comprehensive abatement requirements and may be subject to follow-up inspections.

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 $38,067.00 is more than 5.9× the national average of $6,436.62 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 331110). This sector encompasses 82,943 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $533.9M.

State Context: Within AZ, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 28,263 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $1,378.92.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 19 citations spanning 9 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 11 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 4 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 March 20, 2026 with the latest abatement deadline set for April 10, 2026. Of the 19 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 $38,067.00 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 $2,003.53 falls within the standard penalty range.

The inspection of Southwest Fabrication, L.L.C. revealed a deeply entrenched pattern of systemic safety failures, characterized by nineteen separate violations that span the core pillars of industrial safety: machine guarding, respiratory protection, and hazardous energy control. The presence of multiple "Serious" citations for machine guarding (1910.212) and mechanical power-transmission apparatus (1910.219) indicates a failure to protect workers from catastrophic amputation or crushing injuries, risks that are particularly acute in the primary metal manufacturing sector. The penalty assessment of $38,067, while not reaching the maximum statutory limits, is significantly higher than industry averages for a single inspection, reflecting the high gravity of the hazards identified. The most concerning pattern emerged within the respiratory protection program (1910.134). The facility failed across nearly every critical metric, including medical evaluations, fit testing, and program administration. When coupled with the violation for compressed gas handling, these deficiencies suggested a fundamental breakdown in the management of atmospheric and chemical hazards. This was not an isolated lapse but a comprehensive failure of the safety management system. For workers, this meant daily exposure to unmitigated mechanical hazards and potentially toxic particulates without the legal minimum of protective oversight. The breadth of these citations indicates that the facility’s safety culture prioritized production speed over the foundational regulatory requirements of a high-hazard manufacturing environment.