VALLEY WELDING
According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, VALLEY WELDING — a industry sector 00 facility located at 4065 J STREET SE, DEMING, NM 88030 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 53 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $22,085.00. The inspection case was opened on 1991-09-18.
The volume of citations issued during this inspection suggests systematic compliance deficiencies rather than isolated incidents. Facilities with 10 or more citations typically face comprehensive abatement requirements and may be subject to follow-up inspections.
Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $22,085.00 is more than 18.5× the national average of $1,195.75 for facilities in the Other sector (NAICS 000000). This sector encompasses 1,316,687 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $1,574.4M.
State Context: Within NM, this facility's penalty places it at the 99th percentile among 8,892 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $1,937.30.
Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 53 citations spanning 7 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 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. 3 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 August 2, 1989 with the latest abatement deadline set for August 29, 1989. Of the 53 total citations, 15 (28%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.
Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $22,085.00 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 $416.70 falls within the standard penalty range.
The enforcement record for Valley Welding reveals a pervasive breakdown in fundamental safety management systems, characterized by an unusually high volume of 53 citations. The data underscores a systemic failure to implement basic industrial hygiene and mechanical safety controls. The concentration of Serious (S) violations under 1910.219 (Mechanical Power-Transmission Apparatus) indicates that workers were routinely exposed to unguarded pulleys, belts, and shafts—hazards that carry a high probability of catastrophic entanglement or amputation. While the individual penalties for these mechanical hazards were relatively low by modern standards, their presence alongside a total penalty exceeding $22,000 suggests an aggregate risk profile that was significantly higher than industry averages for small-scale welding operations in the early 1990s. Furthermore, the recurring citations involving 1910.1200 (Hazard Communication) and 1910.134 (Respiratory Protection) point to a lack of a formalized safety culture. The absence of written programs and proper respirator fit-testing meant that employees were likely performing welding and fabrication tasks without adequate protection against toxic fumes or chemical exposures. The sheer breadth of the violations—spanning electrical, fire protection, welding safety, and machine guarding—demonstrates that the facility lacked a competent person to oversee safety compliance. This was not a case of isolated oversight but rather a comprehensive failure to integrate OSHA-mandated safety protocols into daily production activities.