SMITH FOUNDRY COMPANY
According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, SMITH FOUNDRY COMPANY — a manufacturing facility located at 1855 E. 28TH ST., MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55407 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 81 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $89,563.00. The inspection case was opened on 2014-02-25.
Cumulative penalties significantly exceed the national median for OSHA enforcement actions. The penalty amount suggests multiple high-gravity citations, indicating conditions that presented a substantial probability of death or serious physical harm to employees.
Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $89,563.00 is more than 13.9× the national average of $6,436.62 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 331511). This sector encompasses 82,943 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $533.9M.
State Context: Within MN, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 58,337 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $1,403.06.
Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 81 citations spanning 6 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 9 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 6 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 December 7, 1988 with the latest abatement deadline set for October 1, 2014. Of the 81 total citations, 14 (17%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.
Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $89,563.00 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 $1,105.72 falls within the standard penalty range.
The 2014 enforcement action at Smith Foundry Company revealed a profound systemic failure in industrial hygiene and health hazard management, underscored by an unusually high volume of 81 citations. The concentration of violations under 29 CFR