UPSTATE NIAGARA COOPERATIVE, INC.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, UPSTATE NIAGARA COOPERATIVE, INC. — a industry sector 00 facility located at 45 FULTON AVENUE, ROCHESTER, NY 14608 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 48 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $182,441.50. The inspection case was opened on 1988-04-13.

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.

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 48 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. 1 repeat — A substantially similar violation was found during a previous inspection and the original citation has become a final order. 5 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 September 13, 2001 with the latest abatement deadline set for October 14, 2009. Of the 48 total citations, 6 (13%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $182,441.50 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 $3,800.86 falls within the standard penalty range.

The 1988 enforcement action against Upstate Niagara Cooperative’s Rochester facility represents a significant regulatory intervention, characterized by a high volume of citations and substantial financial penalties that far exceeded industry averages for the period. The citation profile reveals a systemic breakdown in fundamental safety management systems rather than isolated mechanical failures. Of particular concern was the presence of repeat violations under 1910.23, indicating that management failed to rectify known fall hazards and floor opening protections despite previous OSHA notifications. This pattern of recidivism suggests a reactive safety culture where hazard abatement was not integrated into standard operating procedures. The technical breadth of the violations—spanning egress obstructions (1910.36), hazardous energy control (1910.147), and noise exposure monitoring (1910.95)—points to a comprehensive failure in the facility’s internal audit mechanisms. The gravity of the lockout/tagout (LOTO) and machine guarding violations placed employees at imminent risk of catastrophic injury or amputation during routine maintenance. Furthermore, the inclusion of multiple records-access and Hazard Communication (1910.1200) violations indicates a breakdown in the "right-to-know" framework, leaving workers without the necessary information to protect themselves from chemical or environmental stressors. The sheer scale of the penalty and the diversity of the standards cited demonstrate a facility-wide neglect of OSHA’s General Industry standards, necessitating a complete overhaul of their EHS compliance strategy to mitigate long-term legal and operational liability.