THE OKONITE COMPANY

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, THE OKONITE COMPANY — a other communication and energy wire manufacturing facility located at 959 MARKET STREET, PATERSON, NJ 07513 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 45 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $53,180.50. The inspection case was opened on 2011-09-21.

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.

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.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $53,180.50 is more than 8.3× the national average of $6,436.62 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 335929). This sector encompasses 82,943 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $533.9M.

State Context: Within NJ, this facility's penalty places it at the 99th percentile among 81,999 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,616.41.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 45 citations spanning 12 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 4 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm. 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 repeat — A substantially similar violation was found during a previous inspection and the original citation has become a final order.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning April 18, 1989 with the latest abatement deadline set for November 24, 2008. Of the 45 total citations, 7 (16%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $53,180.50 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 $1,181.79 falls within the standard penalty range.

The inspection of The Okonite Company’s Paterson facility revealed a systemic failure in fundamental safety management,