LIFEWAY WISCONSIN, INC.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, LIFEWAY WISCONSIN, INC. — a dairy product (except dried or canned) merchant wholesalers facility located at 2101 DELAFIELD STREET, WAUKESHA, WI 53188 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 25 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $81,395.50. The inspection case was opened on 2018-04-17.

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 2.6 per 100 full-time workers — near the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 4.4 per 100,000 workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $81,395.50 is more than 15.7× the national average of $5,185.75 for facilities in the Wholesale sector (NAICS 424430). This sector encompasses 30,869 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $160.1M.

State Context: Within WI, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 43,331 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,505.68.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 25 citations spanning 4 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 8 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 7 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 October 5, 2018 with the latest abatement deadline set for November 26, 2018. Of the 25 total citations, 0 (0%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $81,395.50 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 $3,255.82 falls within the standard penalty range.

The 2018 enforcement action against Lifeway Wisconsin, Inc. reveals a catastrophic breakdown in the facility’s Process Safety Management (PSM) and hazardous energy control frameworks. The density of citations under 29 CFR