UNITED ETHANOL LLC
According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, UNITED ETHANOL LLC — a manufacturing facility located at 1250 CHICAGO STREET, MILTON, WI 53563 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 15 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $119,000.00. The inspection case was opened on 2013-05-14.
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 $119,000.00 is more than 14.1× the national average of $8,414.32 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 325193). This sector encompasses 52,095 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $438.3M.
State Context: Within WI, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 43,331 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,505.68.
Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 15 citations spanning 4 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 12 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. 2 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 October 16, 2013 with the latest abatement deadline set for November 6, 2013. Of the 15 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 $119,000.00 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 $7,933.33 falls within the standard penalty range.
The enforcement profile for United Ethanol LLC reveals a high-risk operational environment characterized by systemic failures in both grain handling safety and Process Safety Management (PSM). The most significant legal and financial driver was a $70,000 Repeat violation of 29 CFR 1910.272, signaling that management failed to sustain corrective actions for previously identified grain bin entry hazards. For workers, this negligence translates directly to a high probability of engulfment or entrapment, the leading causes of death in the industry. The penalty severity, totaling $119,000, far exceeds typical industry averages for a single inspection and underscores OSHA’s intent to penalize recidivism. Beyond grain hazards, the cluster of serious violations under 1910.119—spanning process safety information, operating procedures, mechanical integrity, and compliance