GUST TOOL & MFG
According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, GUST TOOL & MFG — a industry sector 00 facility located at 18401 MALYN, FRASER, MI 48026 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 106 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $150,540.00. The inspection case was opened on 1996-03-25.
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 $150,540.00 is more than 125.9× the national average of $1,195.75 for facilities in the Other sector (NAICS 000000). This sector encompasses 1,316,687 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $1,574.4M.
State Context: Within MI, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 106,495 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $1,470.95.
Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 106 citations spanning 12 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. 5 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm. 1 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 20, 1990 with the latest abatement deadline set for August 25, 1991. Of the 106 total citations, 15 (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 $150,540.00 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 $1,420.19 falls within the standard penalty range.
The enforcement profile for Gust Tool & Mfg revealed a catastrophic breakdown in safety management, evidenced by an extraordinary volume of 106 citations and a six-figure penalty that vastly exceeded industry norms for mid-sized tool and die operations. The technical focus of the violations centered on severe mechanical hazards, specifically regarding power press operations and machine guarding under MIOSHA standards. For workers, these deficiencies translated into a high-risk environment where the probability of catastrophic injury, such as amputations or crushed limbs, was a daily reality. The presence of repeat violations (Type R) and high-gravity serious citations indicates that management was previously aware of specific