LEHMANN & MEYER INC.
According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, LEHMANN & MEYER INC. — a industry sector 00 facility located at 511 PARAMOUNT STREET, SABETHA, KS 66534 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 7 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $27,500.00. The inspection case was opened on 1994-11-15.
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.
State Context: Within KS, this facility's penalty places it at the 99th percentile among 19,826 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,225.89.
Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 7 citations spanning 4 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 5 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 1 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 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm.
Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning April 3, 1995 with the latest abatement deadline set for May 18, 1995. Of the 7 total citations, 7 (100%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, indicating substantial compliance with corrective action requirements.
Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $27,500.00 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 $3,928.57 falls within the standard penalty range.
The inspection at Lehmann & Meyer Inc. revealed a catastrophic failure in trenching safety protocols, characterized by a blatant disregard for structural stability and employee protection. The presence of a willful violation under 29 CFR 1926.652(a)(1) indicates that management either acted with intentional disregard for OSHA requirements or demonstrated plain indifference to worker safety by failing to provide an adequate protective system against cave-ins. In the high-risk excavation industry, such a designation is the most severe administrative finding possible, carrying significant legal weight and signaling a conscious decision to bypass life-saving engineering controls. The citation pattern highlights a systemic collapse of the facility’s safety program rather than an isolated oversight. By failing to conduct competent person inspections (1926.651(k)) and neglecting basic safety training (1926.21(b)(2)), the employer created a lethal environment where hazards were neither identified nor mitigated before worker entry. The $24,500 penalty for the single willful violation was exceptionally high for the mid-1990s regulatory landscape, reflecting the extreme gravity of exposing workers to potential burial. This enforcement record depicts a culture of non-compliance where fundamental excavation hazards—specifically the lack of shoring, sloping, or shielding—were left unaddressed despite the clear and present danger of soil collapse. These findings collectively suggest that the firm prioritized operational speed over the fundamental statutory obligation to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards.