SPIRIT AEROSYSTEMS, INC.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, SPIRIT AEROSYSTEMS, INC. — a other aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment manufacturing facility located at 3801 S. OLIVER ST., WICHITA, KS 67210 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 20 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $43,500.00. The inspection case was opened on 2012-05-09.

The volume of citations issued during this inspection suggests systematic compliance deficiencies rather than isolated incidents. Facilities with 10 or more citations typically face comprehensive abatement requirements and may be subject to follow-up inspections.

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.

EPA Environmental Record: regulated under: Clean Water Act. Source: EPA ECHO database.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $43,500.00 is more than 6.8× the national average of $6,436.62 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 336413). This sector encompasses 82,943 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $533.9M.

State Context: Within KS, this facility's penalty places it at the 99th percentile among 19,826 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,225.89.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 20 citations spanning 8 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 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. 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.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning January 29, 2007 with the latest abatement deadline set for October 13, 2015. Of the 20 total citations, 9 (45%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $43,500.00 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 $2,175.00 falls within the standard penalty range.

The 2012 inspection of this aerospace manufacturing facility revealed a sophisticated failure in industrial hygiene protocols, specifically regarding the mismanagement of hexavalent chromium (1910.1026) and cadmium (1910.1027). The high volume of Serious violations under the chromium standard—spanning exposure assessments, engineering controls, and hygiene practices—indicates a systemic breakdown in the facility’s chemical hazard communication and mitigation strategies. For the workforce, these failures represented a chronic health risk, as the lack of adequate monitoring and regulated areas likely resulted in inhalation and dermal exposures exceeding permissible limits. Beyond chemical hazards, the enforcement record highlights significant physical safety deficits, most notably a maximum-gravity $7,000 penalty for floor and wall opening violations (1910.0023). When coupled with machine guarding deficiencies (1910.0212) and powered industrial truck non-compliance (1910.0178), a pattern emerges of a facility prioritizing production throughput over fundamental housekeeping and mechanical safety. The penalty aggregate of $43,500, while substantial for the era, reflects a multifaceted compliance deficit where administrative oversights in training and documentation converged with tangible site hazards. This was not an isolated incident of mechanical failure but rather a broad organizational failure to integrate OSHA’s Special Emphasis Programs on hexavalent chromium into the daily operational workflow of the plant.