PHYTOGENX, INC
According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, PHYTOGENX, INC — a manufacturing facility located at 35 THOUSAND OAKS BLVD, MORGANTOWN, PA 19543 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 13 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $140,000.00. The inspection case was opened on 2015-12-10.
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.
Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $140,000.00 is more than 16.6× the national average of $8,414.32 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 325620). This sector encompasses 52,095 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $438.3M.
State Context: Within PA, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 84,409 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,015.83.
Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 13 citations spanning 5 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 8 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 5 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 June 8, 2016 with the latest abatement deadline set for August 14, 2017. Of the 13 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 $140,000.00 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 $10,769.23 falls within the standard penalty range.
The enforcement action against Phytogenx, Inc. revealed a pervasive culture of non-compliance regarding the handling of flammable and combustible liquids, a critical risk factor in the toilet preparation manufacturing industry. The assessment of five willful violations totaling $108,000 indicates that OSHA determined the employer demonstrated either an intentional disregard for the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act or a plain indifference to employee safety. For workers, these specific failures in grounding, bonding, and ventilation created a high-probability environment for catastrophic fires or vapor explosions during the transfer and storage of volatile chemicals. The penalty total of $140,000 was significantly higher than the industry average for NAICS 325620, signaling that inspectors identified systemic, rather than isolated, safety breakdowns. The overlap between serious violations for Hazard Communication (1910.1200) and machine guarding (1910.212) alongside the willful flammable liquid citations suggests a comprehensive failure of the facility’s Safety and Health Management System (