GEFCO INC.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, GEFCO INC. — a oil and gas field machinery and equipment manufacturing facility located at 2215 SOUTH VAN BUREN, ENID, OK 73701 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 3 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $25,868.00. The inspection case was opened on 2018-08-30.

DOL records document workplace safety violations warranting formal citation under the OSH Act. While classified at the standard enforcement level, all OSHA citations require corrective action and may indicate areas where workplace safety programs should be strengthened.

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 $25,868.00 is more than 4.0× the national average of $6,436.62 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 333132). This sector encompasses 82,943 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $533.9M.

State Context: Within OK, this facility's penalty places it at the 99th percentile among 20,827 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $2,560.36.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 3 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.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning November 6, 2018 with the latest abatement deadline set for November 8, 2018. Of the 3 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 $25,868.00 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 $8,622.67 falls within the standard penalty range.

The 2018 enforcement action against GEFCO Inc. reveals a high-gravity collapse in material handling safety protocols within its oil and gas equipment manufacturing operations. The citations, centered on 29 CFR 1910.179 and 1910.184, highlight a lethal combination of improper overhead crane operation and compromised rigging integrity. By failing to ensure loads were properly attached and allowing "side pulls"—a practice that introduces lateral stresses cranes are not designed to withstand—management permitted conditions where catastrophic structural failure or uncontrolled load swings were imminent. This physical risk was exacerbated by the failure to protect slings from sharp edges, a leading cause of sudden sling failure and dropped loads in heavy