THE WESTERN SUGAR COOPERATIVE

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, THE WESTERN SUGAR COOPERATIVE — a beet sugar manufacturing facility located at 18317 HIGHWAY 144, FORT MORGAN, CO 80701 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 145 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $142,002.00. The inspection case was opened on 2008-12-22.

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 $142,002.00 is more than 16.7× the national average of $8,527.19 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 311313). This sector encompasses 24,420 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $208.2M.

State Context: Within CO, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 32,935 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,271.13.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 145 citations spanning 10 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 January 22, 1998 with the latest abatement deadline set for May 10, 2009. Of the 145 total citations, 11 (8%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $142,002.00 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 $979.32 falls within the standard penalty range.

The 2008 enforcement action against The Western Sugar Cooperative revealed a pervasive and systemic collapse of safety