HORSEHEAD CORPORATION

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, HORSEHEAD CORPORATION — a secondary smelting, refining, and alloying of nonferrous metal (except copper and aluminum) facility located at 900 DELAWARE AVENUE, PALMERTON, PA 18071 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 171 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $1,137,093.25. The inspection case was opened on 2016-06-23.

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 $1,137,093.25 is more than 176.7× the national average of $6,436.62 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 331492). This sector encompasses 82,943 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $533.9M.

State Context: Within PA, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 84,409 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,015.83.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 171 citations spanning 8 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. 10 unclassified — A technical violation that does not fit neatly into the standard classification categories. 2 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 May 6, 1991 with the latest abatement deadline set for May 31, 2007. Of the 171 total citations, 13 (8%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $1,137,093.25 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 $6,649.67 falls within the standard penalty range.

The inspection of Horsehead Corporation’s Palmerton facility revealed a staggering breakdown of