TENNECO AUTOMOTIVE OPERATING COMPANY INC.
According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, TENNECO AUTOMOTIVE OPERATING COMPANY INC. — a manufacturing facility located at 200 MCINTYRE DRIVE, HARTWELL, GA 30643 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 84 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $159,850.00. The inspection case was opened on 2012-07-11.
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 $159,850.00 is more than 24.8× the national average of $6,436.62 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 336330). This sector encompasses 82,943 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $533.9M.
State Context: Within GA, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 48,956 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,799.18.
Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 84 citations spanning 9 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 15 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 October 12, 2011 with the latest abatement deadline set for December 30, 2011. Of the 84 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 $159,850.00 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 $1,902.98 falls within the standard penalty range.
The 2012 enforcement action at Tenneco Automotive’s Hartwell facility revealed a pervasive breakdown in fundamental safety management systems, evidenced by a high volume of serious violations across multiple high-hazard domains. The concentration of citations under 1910.147 (Lockout/Tagout) and 1910.212 (Machine Guarding) indicates a systemic failure to control hazardous energy and provide physical barriers against point-of-operation injuries. For workers, these deficiencies translated into an unacceptably high risk of amputations, crushing injuries, and fatalities during both routine production and equipment maintenance. The $159,850 penalty assessment is significantly higher than industry averages for automotive parts manufacturing (NAICS 336330), reflecting the gravity and breadth of the non-compliance. The inclusion of General Duty Clause (5A0001) and Permit-Required Confined Space (1910.146) violations suggests that management failed to address recognized hazards even where specific standards were absent or highly technical. Rather than isolated mechanical failures, the pattern of electrical (1910.303/305) and walking-working surface violations denotes a lack of effective safety oversight and a reactive rather than proactive safety culture. This record characterizes a facility where production demands likely superseded the rigorous implementation of life-safety protocols, necessitating a comprehensive overhaul of the corporate EHS management system to prevent catastrophic incidents.