CRANESVILLE AGGREGATE COMPANY DBA SCOTIA BAG PLANT
According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, CRANESVILLE AGGREGATE COMPANY DBA SCOTIA BAG PLANT — a manufacturing facility located at 427 SACANDAGA ROAD, SCOTIA, NY 12302 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 37 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $508,500.00. The inspection case was opened on 2009-05-12.
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.
Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $508,500.00 is more than 60.4× the national average of $8,414.32 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 327999). This sector encompasses 52,095 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $438.3M.
State Context: Within NY, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 140,736 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $2,208.33.
Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 37 citations spanning 8 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 10 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 2 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. 3 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 November 10, 2009 with the latest abatement deadline set for December 15, 2009. Of the 37 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 $508,500.00 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 $13,743.24 falls within the standard penalty range.
The enforcement action against Cranesville Aggregate Company’s Scotia Bag Plant represents a severe breakdown in safety management systems, evidenced by the staggering $508,500 penalty—a figure that dwarfs the industry average for non-metallic mineral product manufacturing. The presence of multiple "Willful" (W) violations under 1910.178 regarding powered industrial trucks (PIT) signifies that management acted with either intentional disregard for OSHA requirements or plain indifference to worker safety. Specifically, the gravity-10 rating for failing to ensure safe PIT operations indicates a high probability of catastrophic injury or death, such as crushing or pinning incidents. Legally, these willful designations are critical; they demonstrate a heightened level of culpability that, had a fatality occurred, could have triggered a criminal referral under Section 17(e) of the OSH Act. The citation pattern reveals systemic negligence rather than isolated lapses. The recurrence of fall protection violations (1910.23) under a "Repeat" (R) classification underscores a failure to implement permanent corrective actions following prior inspections. Furthermore, the concentration of electrical hazards (1910.303, 1910.305) and walking-working surface deficiencies suggests a facility-wide neglect of basic housekeeping and infrastructure maintenance. For workers, this environment posed a daily risk of electrocution, falls from heights, and forklift-related trauma. The sheer volume of 37 citations indicates that the safety culture at this facility was non-existent, requiring a total overhaul of their EHS management system to mitigate profound liability and life-safety risks.