DFA DAIRY BRANDS FLUID, LLC
According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, DFA DAIRY BRANDS FLUID, LLC — a manufacturing facility located at 1126 KILBURN AVENUE, ROCKFORD, IL 61101 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 13 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $85,000.00. The inspection case was opened on 2024-02-22.
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 $85,000.00 is more than 10.0× the national average of $8,527.19 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 311511). This sector encompasses 24,420 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $208.2M.
State Context: Within IL, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 88,899 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,496.90.
Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 13 citations spanning 9 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. 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 July 31, 2024 with the latest abatement deadline set for August 18, 2025. Of the 13 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 $85,000.00 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 $6,538.46 falls within the standard penalty range.
The 2024 inspection of DFA Dairy Brands Fluid, LLC reveals a profound breakdown in the facility’s control of hazardous energy, evidenced by a cluster of high-gravity citations under the 1910.147 standard. The repeated assessment of maximum gravity scores (10) for Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) violations—specifically regarding energy control procedures, periodic inspections, and group lockout protocols—indicates a systemic failure rather than isolated clerical lapses. For the workforce, these deficiencies translated into a high-risk environment where employees were potentially exposed to unexpected machine startups or the release of stored energy during maintenance, a leading cause of catastrophic industrial injuries. The penalty structure, totaling $85,000, is significantly elevated for the dairy processing sector, reflecting OSHA’s aggressive stance on LOTO non-compliance. By citing multiple subsections of the LOTO standard individually, regulators signaled that the facility lacked the fundamental administrative and physical infrastructure required to manage mechanical hazards safely. Furthermore, the presence of 1910.95 (Hearing Conservation) and 1910.1200 (Hazard Communication) violations suggests a broader erosion of the facility’s safety culture, moving beyond mechanical risks into occupational health and chemical safety. The sheer density of serious violations across disparate safety programs points to a lack of effective management oversight and a failure to implement a robust internal auditing process, leaving the facility vulnerable to both future enforcement actions and severe workplace incidents.