GREENWOOD PLUMBING,HEATING&SOLAR INC.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, GREENWOOD PLUMBING,HEATING&SOLAR INC. — a plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors facility located at 16/15 PINE STREET, CRANSTON, RI 02920 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 3 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $41,000.00. The inspection case was opened on 2003-07-02.

Federal investigators determined that one or more violations at this facility were committed willfully — meaning the employer either knowingly failed to comply with OSHA standards or acted with plain indifference to employee safety. Willful violations carry the highest penalty multipliers under the OSH Act.

BLS Injury Data: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022), this industry sector has an occupational injury rate of 2.8 per 100 full-time workers — 4% above the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 9.6 per 100,000 workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $41,000.00 is more than 11.4× the national average of $3,609.14 for facilities in the Construction sector (NAICS 238220). This sector encompasses 532,749 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $1,922.8M.

State Context: Within RI, this facility's penalty places it at the 99th percentile among 12,847 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $2,361.85.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 3 citations spanning 3 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 2 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 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 December 15, 2003 with the latest abatement deadline set for December 24, 2004. Of the 3 total citations, 3 (100%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, indicating substantial compliance with corrective action requirements.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $41,000.00 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 $13,666.67 falls within the standard penalty range.

The inspection of Greenwood Plumbing, Heating & Solar Inc. revealed a high-gravity enforcement profile characterized by a blatant disregard for trenching and excavation safety. The issuance of two Willful violations under 29 CFR 1926.651 and 1926.652 signifies that the employer demonstrated either an intentional disregard for OSHA requirements or a plain indifference to employee safety regarding cave-in protection and spoil pile management. In practical terms, workers were exposed to catastrophic engulfment hazards—the leading cause of death in trenching operations—by being permitted to enter unprotected excavations where the soil was neither sloped nor shored, and where excavated materials were stored dangerously close to the trench edge. The $41,000 penalty total, driven