DEBRUCE GRAIN ELEVATOR

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, DEBRUCE GRAIN ELEVATOR — a industry sector 00 facility located at 5755 S. HOOVER RD., WICHITA, KS 67200 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 53 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $2,032,000.00. The inspection case was opened on 1998-06-08.

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.

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 53 citations spanning 2 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 3 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 11 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. 1 unclassified — A technical violation that does not fit neatly into the standard classification categories.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning December 7, 1998 with the latest abatement deadline set for February 5, 2001. Of the 53 total citations, 12 (23%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The per-citation average of $38,339.62 exceeds OSHA's FY2024 statutory maximum of $16,131 for serious violations, indicating the presence of willful or repeat classifications that carry enhanced penalty authority under Section 17 of the OSH Act.

The enforcement action against the DeBruce Grain Elevator represents one of the most significant grain-handling safety cases in OSHA history, characterized by a staggering $2,032,000 penalty that signaled a catastrophic breakdown in safety management. The citation profile, dominated by repeated willful violations of the 1910.272 grain handling standard, reveals a systemic failure to mitigate the dual threats of fuel and ignition. Specifically, the heavy concentration of willful violations under 1910.272(m)(2) for preventive maintenance and 1910.272(q)(5) for dust accumulation demonstrates that management knowingly permitted explosive grain dust to reach hazardous levels while failing to maintain equipment that could serve as an ignition source. In practical terms, this created a high-risk environment where a single mechanical spark could—and did—trigger a devastating secondary explosion.