GRIFFIN WHEEL CO.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, GRIFFIN WHEEL CO. — a iron foundries facility located at 7111 GRIFFIN RD., KANSAS CITY, KS 66111 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 74 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $235,500.00. The inspection case was opened on 2005-12-06.

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 $235,500.00 is more than 36.6× the national average of $6,436.62 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 331511). This sector encompasses 82,943 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $533.9M.

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 74 citations spanning 9 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 6 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm. 6 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 repeat — A substantially similar violation was found during a previous inspection and the original citation has become a final order.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning December 23, 1996 with the latest abatement deadline set for January 19, 2007. Of the 74 total citations, 10 (14%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $235,500.00 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 $3,182.43 falls within the standard penalty range.

The 2005 inspection of Griffin Wheel Co. revealed a deeply entrenched pattern of non-compliance, evidenced by a staggering 74 citations and penalties totaling $235,500. This enforcement action underscores a systemic breakdown in safety management systems rather than isolated technical lapses. The presence of significant Repeat (R) violations under 1910.303 and 1910.305 signifies a failure of management to implement permanent corrective actions for previously identified electrical hazards, exposing workers to persistent risks of electrocution and arc flash. Furthermore, the Serious (S) violations concerning machine guarding (1910.212) and walking-working surfaces (1910.023) highlight a disregard for fundamental physical safety controls in a high-hazard iron foundry environment. The penalty severity is exceptionally high for the NAICS 331511 sector, reflecting OSHA’s determination that the employer demonstrated a recurring inability or unwillingness to maintain a safe workplace. The concentration of gravity-10 violations indicates that the hazards present carried a high probability of resulting in permanent disability or death. For compliance professionals, this record serves as a case study in "compliance fatigue," where a facility allows its safety programs to atrophy despite repeated regulatory interventions. The breadth of the citations—spanning electrical safety, fall protection, and egress—points to a lack of a cohesive Safety and Health Management System (SHMS), placing the burden of hazard recognition on the individual worker rather than on engineered controls and administrative oversight.