ROBERT BATES, INC.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, ROBERT BATES, INC. — a recyclable material merchant wholesalers facility located at 55 BROOK STREET, NEW BEDFORD, MA 02746 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 8 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $18,500.00. The inspection case was opened on 2023-05-25.

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 2.6 per 100 full-time workers — near the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 4.4 per 100,000 workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $18,500.00 is more than 3.6× the national average of $5,185.75 for facilities in the Wholesale sector (NAICS 423930). This sector encompasses 30,869 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $160.1M.

State Context: Within MA, this facility's penalty places it at the 98th percentile among 60,671 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $2,824.83.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 8 citations spanning 7 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 5 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. 1 repeat — A substantially similar violation was found during a previous inspection and the original citation has become a final order.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning June 22, 2020 with the latest abatement deadline set for August 11, 2020. Of the 8 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 $18,500.00 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 $2,312.50 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement profile for Robert Bates, Inc. reveals a troubling pattern of systemic safety neglect characteristic of high-