SALMONS INC

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, SALMONS INC — a grain and field bean merchant wholesalers facility located at 781 PRINCESS ANNE ROAD, VIRGINIA BEACH, VA 23457 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 43 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $200,830.00. The inspection case was opened on 2009-11-16.

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.

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 $200,830.00 is more than 38.7× the national average of $5,185.75 for facilities in the Wholesale sector (NAICS 424510). This sector encompasses 30,869 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $160.1M.

State Context: Within VA, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 62,574 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $2,237.86.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 43 citations spanning 10 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 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. 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. 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 January 26, 2010 with the latest abatement deadline set for May 24, 2010. Of the 43 total citations, 2 (5%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $200,830.00 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 $4,670.47 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement record for Salmons Inc. reveals a catastrophic breakdown in safety management, characterized by a high volume of willful violations that transcend mere negligence. In the context of grain handling, the citations under 1910.134 and 1910.146 represent the most critical life-safety risks: engulfment, asphyxiation, and toxic atmospheric exposure. By classifying these respiratory and confined space violations as willful, OSHA signaled that management possessed actual knowledge of these lethal hazards yet