PEARSON LUMBER COMPANY

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, PEARSON LUMBER COMPANY — a cut stock, resawing lumber, and planing facility located at 1511 HARGROVE ROAD, TUSCALOOSA, AL 35401 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 26 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $20,658.00. The inspection case was opened on 2011-10-06.

The volume of citations issued during this inspection suggests systematic compliance deficiencies rather than isolated incidents. Facilities with 10 or more citations typically face comprehensive abatement requirements and may be subject to follow-up inspections.

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, Clean Water Act. Source: EPA ECHO database.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $20,658.00 is more than 2.5× the national average of $8,414.32 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 321912). This sector encompasses 52,095 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $438.3M.

State Context: Within AL, this facility's penalty places it at the 97th percentile among 30,935 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,893.70.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 26 citations spanning 7 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 2 repeat — A substantially similar violation was found during a previous inspection and the original citation has become a final order. 11 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 2 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 April 18, 2003 with the latest abatement deadline set for July 4, 2012. Of the 26 total citations, 14 (54%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, suggesting partial progress toward required corrective actions.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $20,658.00 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 $794.54 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement profile for Pearson Lumber Company reveals a deeply entrenched pattern of non-compliance, characterized by a high volume of citations that point toward systemic operational negligence rather than isolated lapses. The presence of Repeat violations under 1910.305 for hazardous wiring methods is particularly significant; it indicates that management was previously alerted to specific electrical dangers but failed to implement permanent corrective actions, thereby exposing workers to persistent risks of electrocution and fire. The penalty total, while moderate in absolute terms, is high for the wood products industry relative to the inspection scope, reflecting a high gravity assessment for foundational safety failures. The convergence of violations involving machine guarding (1910.212), lockout/tagout (1910.147), and hearing conservation (1910.95) suggests a hazardous work environment where workers were simultaneously