MONTANA POWER COMPANY

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, MONTANA POWER COMPANY — a industry sector 00 facility located at 40 EAST BROADWAY, BUTTE, MT 59701 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 13 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $56,000.00. The inspection case was opened on 1992-04-28.

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.

State Context: Within MT, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 9,480 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $2,110.71.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 13 citations spanning 5 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 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. 4 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm. 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 June 25, 1992 with the latest abatement deadline set for March 31, 1993. Of the 13 total citations, 13 (100%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, indicating substantial compliance with corrective action requirements.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $56,000.00 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 $4,307.69 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement profile for the Montana Power Company facility reveals a systemic failure in fundamental industrial hygiene and hazard control programs, characterized by a troubling pattern of recidivism. The assessment of three high-gravity "Repeated" violations—accounting for nearly 90% of the $56,000 total penalty—demonstrates that management failed to rectify previously identified hazards regarding personal protective equipment