MONTANA POWER COMPANY

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, MONTANA POWER COMPANY — a industry sector 00 facility located at PO BOX 38, COLSTRIP, MT 59323 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 24 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $176,400.00. The inspection case was opened on 1997-01-10.

This facility represents one of the most severe enforcement actions in the OSHA SVEP database. Willful violations combined with penalties exceeding $100,000 indicate a pattern of deliberate non-compliance that poses an imminent danger to workers.

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 24 citations spanning 5 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 8 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm. 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. 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.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning August 13, 1991 with the latest abatement deadline set for May 8, 1998. Of the 24 total citations, 14 (58%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, suggesting partial progress toward required corrective actions.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $176,400.00 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 $7,350.00 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement record for Montana Power Company’s Colstrip facility reveals a profound breakdown in high