OZINGA READY MIX CONCRETE, INC.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, OZINGA READY MIX CONCRETE, INC. — a ready-mix concrete manufacturing facility located at 6445 S. STATE STREET, CHICAGO, IL 60637 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 16 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $63,000.00. The inspection case was opened on 2019-01-03.

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 3.3 per 100 full-time workers — 22% above the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 2.3 per 100,000 workers.

EPA Environmental Record: The EPA shows no current violations for this facility. regulated under: Clean Air Act. Source: EPA ECHO database.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $63,000.00 is more than 7.5× the national average of $8,414.32 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 327320). This sector encompasses 52,095 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $438.3M.

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 16 citations spanning 6 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 14 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 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 June 28, 2019 with the latest abatement deadline set for September 30, 2019. Of the 16 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 $63,000.00 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 $3,937.50 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement record for Ozinga Ready Mix Concrete’s Chicago facility reveals a troubling intersection of high-gravity physical hazards and systemic industrial hygiene failures. The assessment of $63,000 in penalties across 16 violations indicates a significant departure from industry safety norms, particularly regarding the 1910.1053 crystalline silica standards. The presence of multiple serious violations for silica exposure—ranging from inadequate exposure assessments to a lack of medical surveillance—demonstrates a failure to mitigate the primary respiratory risk inherent in concrete manufacturing. These omissions suggest that workers were subjected to long-term health risks without the necessary engineering controls or biological monitoring required by modern OSHA standards. Furthermore, the significant penalties associated with 1910.28 and 1910.29 (Fall Protection) and 1910.146 (Permit-Required Confined Spaces) point to a pattern of neglecting high-risk operational environments. In a ready-mix environment, the combination of fall hazards and confined space entry without a written program or adequate guarding creates a high probability of catastrophic injury. The $13,260 assessment for a single fall protection violation is notably high for this NAICS code, signaling that inspectors found egregious physical conditions rather than mere paperwork lapses. Collectively, these citations illustrate a systemic failure to implement a cohesive safety management system, moving beyond isolated incidents to a broader culture of non-compliance regarding both immediate physical dangers and chronic health hazards.