PELTON SHEPHERD INDUSTRIES

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, PELTON SHEPHERD INDUSTRIES — a surgical and medical instrument manufacturing facility located at 1996 N MILL RD, VINELAND, NJ 08360 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 5 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $20,500.00. The inspection case was opened on 2021-03-15.

DOL records document workplace safety violations warranting formal citation under the OSH Act. While classified at the standard enforcement level, all OSHA citations require corrective action and may indicate areas where workplace safety programs should be strengthened.

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.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $20,500.00 is more than 3.2× the national average of $6,436.62 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 339112). This sector encompasses 82,943 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $533.9M.

State Context: Within NJ, this facility's penalty places it at the 97th percentile among 81,999 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,616.41.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 5 citations spanning 4 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 3 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 August 31, 2021 with the latest abatement deadline set for September 27, 2021. Of the 5 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 $20,500.00 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 $4,100.00 falls within the standard penalty range.

The 2021 inspection of Pelton Shepherd Industries’ Vineland facility revealed a troubling nexus of chemical handling deficiencies and confined space mismanagement, suggesting a systemic failure in the site’s foundational safety programs. The citation under 1910.146(c)(1) is particularly critical, as it indicates the employer failed to even evaluate the workplace for permit-required confined spaces, a fundamental oversight that exposes workers to catastrophic atmospheric or engulfment hazards. This lack of situational awareness was compounded by a comprehensive breakdown in Hazard Communication (HazCom) protocols. While the violations under 1910.1200 were classified as other-than-serious, the $8,778 penalty for the absence of a written program is uncharacteristically high for this classification, reflecting the