DIERZEN-KEWANEE HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD.
According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, DIERZEN-KEWANEE HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD. — a truck trailer manufacturing facility located at 101 FRANKLIN STREET, KEWANEE, IL 61433 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 81 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $310,600.00. The inspection case was opened on 2006-10-11.
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.
Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $310,600.00 is more than 48.3× the national average of $6,436.62 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 336212). This sector encompasses 82,943 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $533.9M.
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 81 citations spanning 10 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 12 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 3 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 June 7, 2005 with the latest abatement deadline set for August 2, 2006. Of the 81 total citations, 13 (16%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.
Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $310,600.00 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 $3,834.57 falls within the standard penalty range.
The enforcement profile for Dierzen-Kewanee Heavy Industries Ltd. reveals a catastrophic breakdown in