SUBURBAN PLASTICS CO.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, SUBURBAN PLASTICS CO. — a manufacturing facility located at 340 RENNER DR., ELGIN, IL 60123 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 15 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $106,928.00. The inspection case was opened on 2016-11-08.

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 $106,928.00 is more than 12.7× the national average of $8,414.32 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 326199). This sector encompasses 52,095 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $438.3M.

State Context: Within IL, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 88,899 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,496.90.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 15 citations spanning 7 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 12 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 repeat — A substantially similar violation was found during a previous inspection and the original citation has become a final order. 1 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 April 14, 2017 with the latest abatement deadline set for January 31, 2018. Of the 15 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 $106,928.00 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 $7,128.53 falls within the standard penalty range.

Suburban Plastics Co.’s 2016 enforcement record reveals a deeply entrenched pattern of non-compliance, characterized by a high concentration of repeat violations and systemic mechanical hazards. The presence of multiple "Repeat" citations under 1910.147—specifically regarding energy control procedures and periodic inspections—signifies a failure to remediate known deficiencies from previous inspections. This recidivism elevated the penalty total to $106,928, a figure significantly higher than the industry average for plastic products manufacturing. Practically, these failures exposed workers to catastrophic amputation and crushing risks, as the facility lacked the foundational administrative and technical controls necessary to ensure machinery was properly de-energized during maintenance. Furthermore, the citation for 1910.212(a)(1) with a gravity rating of 10 underscores a severe lack of physical guarding at the point of operation, indicating that workers were operating under high-risk conditions daily. The clustering of violations across forklift safety (1910.178), electrical safety (1910.303/305), and noise exposure (1910.095) suggests a breakdown in the facility’s overall safety management system rather than isolated technical oversights. The heavy reliance on serious and repeat designations indicates that management failed to implement a comprehensive safety culture, instead allowing hazardous conditions to persist despite prior OSHA interventions. This profile represents a facility in a high-risk category for potential catastrophic incidents due to the combination of mechanical, electrical, and procedural negligence.