THE SMITHFIELD PACKING COMPANY, INCORPORATED

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, THE SMITHFIELD PACKING COMPANY, INCORPORATED — a meat and meat product merchant wholesalers facility located at 15855 NC HWY 87 WEST, TAR HEEL, NC 28392 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 45 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $136,450.00. The inspection case was opened on 2012-06-25.

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 2.6 per 100 full-time workers — near the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 4.4 per 100,000 workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $136,450.00 is more than 26.3× the national average of $5,185.75 for facilities in the Wholesale sector (NAICS 424470). This sector encompasses 30,869 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $160.1M.

State Context: Within NC, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 88,256 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $1,699.39.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 45 citations spanning 7 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 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. 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.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning March 30, 2010 with the latest abatement deadline set for June 30, 2014. 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 $136,450.00 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 $3,032.22 falls within the standard penalty range.

The 2012 enforcement action against this Smithfield Packing facility, resulting in 45