ORLOWSKI CONSTRUCTION, INC.
According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, ORLOWSKI CONSTRUCTION, INC. — a construction facility located at 4011 N. FRANCISCO AVE., CHICAGO, IL 60656 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 18 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $126,000.00. The inspection case was opened on 2003-10-30.
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.
Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $126,000.00 is more than 34.9× the national average of $3,609.14 for facilities in the Construction sector (NAICS 238140). This sector encompasses 532,749 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $1,922.8M.
State Context: Within IL, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 88,899 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,496.90.
Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 18 citations spanning 6 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 5 repeat — A substantially similar violation was found during a previous inspection and the original citation has become a final order. 10 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition.
Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning April 23, 2004 with the latest abatement deadline set for May 12, 2004. Of the 18 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 $126,000.00 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 $7,000.00 falls within the standard penalty range.
Orlowski Construction, Inc.’s enforcement record reveals a profound breakdown in fundamental fall protection and scaffolding safety protocols, characterized by a high frequency of "Repeat" (R) violations. The assessment of maximum gravity ratings across multiple standards indicates that OSHA inspectors identified conditions where death or serious physical harm was not just possible, but highly probable. Specifically, the recurring failures to comply with 1926.451 and 1926.501—covering scaffolding platform construction and fall protection for walking-working surfaces—demonstrate a systemic refusal to implement basic engineering controls. For workers, this environment meant operating at height without adequate guardrails, secure decking, or personal fall arrest systems, effectively leaving their survival to chance rather than safety management. The legal significance of the $126,000 penalty, driven largely by repeated citations, suggests a management team that viewed previous enforcement actions as a cost of doing business rather than a catalyst for reform. The presence of 1926.454(A) violations further underscores that the workforce was likely under-trained, lacking the necessary knowledge to identify or mitigate the hazards they faced daily. Compared to industry norms for masonry contractors (NAICS 238140), these penalties are exceptionally severe and reflect an employer that failed to maintain even a baseline safety program, as evidenced by the general duty and inspection violations under 1926.20. This profile is indicative of a "high-gravity" offender where the absence of a competent person and failure to conduct regular inspections created a persistent, life-threatening work environment.