WESTERN RESOURCES, INC

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, WESTERN RESOURCES, INC — a industry sector 00 facility located at 1250 N. 1800 RD, LAWRENCE, KS 66044 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 27 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $415,000.00. The inspection case was opened on 1997-11-25.

This facility represents one of the most severe enforcement actions in the OSHA SVEP database. Willful violations combined with penalties exceeding $100,000 indicate a pattern of deliberate non-compliance that poses an imminent danger to workers.

State Context: Within KS, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 19,826 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,225.89.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 27 citations spanning 3 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 8 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 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. 1 unclassified — A technical violation that does not fit neatly into the standard classification categories. 4 willful — The employer intentionally and knowingly committed the violation, demonstrating either an intentional disregard for the requirements of the OSH Act or plain indifference to employee safety and health.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning May 21, 1998 with the latest abatement deadline set for July 7, 1998. Of the 27 total citations, 15 (56%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, suggesting partial progress toward required corrective actions.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $415,000.00 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 $15,370.37 falls within the standard penalty range.

The 1997 enforcement action against Western Resources, Inc. represents a catastrophic failure in high-voltage safety management, evidenced by the assessment of $415,000 in total penalties—an extraordinary sum for the era. The presence of multiple willful violations under 29 CFR 1910.269 and 1910.132 indicates