WA317941258 - CITY OF VANCOUVER

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, WA317941258 - CITY OF VANCOUVER — a legislative bodies facility located at 415 W 6TH ST, VANCOUVER, WA 98668 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 42 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $72,380.00. The inspection case was opened on 2016-06-23.

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.

BLS Injury Data: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022), this industry sector has an occupational injury rate of 4.4 per 100 full-time workers — 63% above the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 1.7 per 100,000 workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $72,380.00 is more than 47.7× the national average of $1,518.52 for facilities in the Public Admin sector (NAICS 921120). This sector encompasses 25,943 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $39.4M.

State Context: Within WA, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 126,183 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $1,683.96.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 42 citations spanning 0 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 1 repeat — A substantially similar violation was found during a previous inspection and the original citation has become a final order. 14 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 December 13, 2016 with the latest abatement deadline set for January 15, 2017. Of the 42 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 $72,380.00 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 $1,723.33 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement profile for the City of Vancouver reveals a pervasive breakdown in safety management systems, characterized by a staggering 42 citations and an aggregated penalty of $72,380.00—a figure significantly higher than the median for municipal legislative and administrative entities. The presence of a high-gravity Repeat violation under WAC 296-800-26010, carrying a $13,200 penalty, indicates a failure to rectify previously identified recordkeeping or injury reporting deficiencies, suggesting that management was aware of specific regulatory requirements but failed to institutionalize compliance. The citation density across Firefighting (WAC 296-305), Machine Guarding (WAC 296-806), and Personal Protective Equipment (WAC 296-800-1