TONAWANDA COKE CORPORATION AND KIRCHNER, LLC
According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, TONAWANDA COKE CORPORATION AND KIRCHNER, LLC — a manufacturing facility located at 3875 RIVER ROAD, TONAWANDA, NY 14150 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 20 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $104,370.00. The inspection case was opened on 2014-03-05.
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 $104,370.00 is more than 12.4× the national average of $8,414.32 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 324199). This sector encompasses 52,095 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $438.3M.
State Context: Within NY, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 140,736 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $2,208.33.
Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 20 citations spanning 8 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 April 17, 2014 with the latest abatement deadline set for September 12, 2014. Of the 20 total citations, 0 (0%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.
Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $104,370.00 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 $5,218.50 falls within the standard penalty range.
The enforcement record for Tonawanda Coke Corporation reveals a pervasive breakdown in fundamental hazardous energy control and mechanical integrity programs. The high concentration of serious violations under 29 CFR 1910.147 (Lockout/Tagout) indicates a systemic failure to implement specific, documented procedures for isolating energy sources during maintenance. For workers, this deficiency translated into a high-probability risk of crushing injuries, amputations, or electrocution from the unexpected energization of heavy industrial machinery. The gravity-10 ratings assigned to these citations underscore that management failed to provide even the most basic procedural safeguards required for high-risk operations. Furthermore, the cluster of violations involving overhead cranes (1910.179) and slings (1910.184) highlights a secondary pattern of neglect regarding material handling safety. By failing to perform periodic inspections and maintain hoisting equipment, the employer allowed latent mechanical defects to persist, creating a constant threat of catastrophic structural failure or dropped loads. While the individual penalties are consistent with standard serious classifications for the NAICS 324199 sector, the aggregate penalty exceeding $100,000 reflects an exceptionally high volume of concurrent hazards. This was not a case of isolated oversight; rather, the data suggests a facility-wide culture of non-compliance where critical safety infrastructure—ranging from electrical guarding to gas cylinder storage—was allowed to deteriorate, placing the entire workforce at risk of multi-modal industrial accidents.