CREEKSTONE FARMS PREMIUM BEEF LLC

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, CREEKSTONE FARMS PREMIUM BEEF LLC — a animal (except poultry) slaughtering facility located at 604 GOFF INDUSTRIAL PARK ROAD, ARKANSAS CITY, KS 67005 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 64 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $178,356.00. The inspection case was opened on 2018-04-17.

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 shows no current violations for this facility. EPA penalties total $3,750.00 (Clean Air Act: $3,750.00). Toxic Release Inventory reports 1099636 lbs in releases/transfers. Source: EPA ECHO database.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $178,356.00 is more than 20.9× the national average of $8,527.19 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 311611). This sector encompasses 24,420 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $208.2M.

State Context: Within KS, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 19,826 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,225.89.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 64 citations spanning 6 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 9 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 6 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 August 12, 2008 with the latest abatement deadline set for September 19, 2011. Of the 64 total citations, 11 (17%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $178,356.00 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 $2,786.81 falls within the standard penalty range.

The 2018 enforcement action against Creekstone Farms Premium Beef LLC reveals a deeply fractured safety culture characterized by systemic failures in Process Safety Management (PSM) and fundamental machine safeguarding. The sheer volume of citations—64 in total—coupled with a penalty exceeding $178,000, underscores a level of non-compliance that far outpaces industry averages for the meat processing sector. The concentration of violations under 29 CFR 1910.119 indicates a critical breakdown in the management of highly hazardous chemicals,