THE WESTERN SUGAR COOPERATIVE

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, THE WESTERN SUGAR COOPERATIVE — a beet sugar manufacturing facility located at 1302 1ST AVE., GREELEY, CO 80631 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 47 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $38,765.00. The inspection case was opened on 2006-02-16.

Federal investigators determined that one or more violations at this facility were committed willfully — meaning the employer either knowingly failed to comply with OSHA standards or acted with plain indifference to employee safety. Willful violations carry the highest penalty multipliers under the OSH Act.

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 $38,765.00 is more than 4.5× 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 99th percentile among 32,935 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,271.13.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 47 citations spanning 6 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 1 willful — The employer intentionally and knowingly committed the violation, demonstrating either an intentional disregard for the requirements of the OSH Act or plain indifference to employee safety and health. 12 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm. 2 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 June 23, 1988 with the latest abatement deadline set for May 1, 2005. Of the 47 total citations, 14 (30%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $38,765.00 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 $824.79 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement profile for The Western Sugar Cooperative’s Greeley facility reveals a systemic failure in safety management