SWING-A-WAY MANUFACTURING CO.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, SWING-A-WAY MANUFACTURING CO. — a industry sector 00 facility located at 4100 BECK AVE., ST. LOUIS, MO 63116 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 67 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $48,266.50. The inspection case was opened on 1989-11-07.

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.

State Context: Within MO, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 41,963 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $2,902.40.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 67 citations spanning 9 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 4 repeat — A substantially similar violation was found during a previous inspection and the original citation has become a final order. 10 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 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 August 22, 1989 with the latest abatement deadline set for October 26, 1990. Of the 67 total citations, 15 (22%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $48,266.50 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 $720.40 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement action against Swing-A-Way Manufacturing Co. revealed a profound and systemic breakdown of fundamental safety management systems, characterized by a staggering volume of 67 citations. The breadth of these violations—ranging from lockout/tagout (LOTO) deficiencies and mechanical power press guarding to hearing conservation and chemical hazard communication—indicates a corporate culture that historically neglected regulatory compliance. The presence of multiple Repeat (R) violations is particularly significant; it demonstrates a failure to sustain corrective actions from prior interventions, suggesting that management viewed OSHA compliance as a periodic hurdle rather than a continuous operational requirement. From a risk perspective, the combination of deficient machine guarding and inadequate LOTO procedures exposed workers to high-gravity amputation and crushing hazards. Simultaneously, the repeated failures in hearing conservation (audiometric testing and protection) and hazard communication pointed to a lack of industrial hygiene oversight, placing employees at risk of long-term occupational illnesses. The total penalty, exceeding $48,000 in 1989 dollars, was exceptionally high for the era, reflecting the severity of the cumulative hazards and the employer's recidivism. This record does not depict isolated lapses but rather a comprehensive failure of the safety program, where the absence of basic administrative controls and physical safeguards created an environment of pervasive, preventable risk.