WESTERN SUGAR COMPANY

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, WESTERN SUGAR COMPANY — a industry sector 00 facility located at 3020 STATE AVE., BILLINGS, MT 59101 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 103 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $35,825.50. The inspection case was opened on 1996-11-26.

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.

State Context: Within MT, this facility's penalty places it at the 99th percentile among 9,480 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $2,110.71.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 103 citations spanning 10 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 10 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm. 4 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.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning September 21, 1992 with the latest abatement deadline set for November 15, 1997. Of the 103 total citations, 15 (15%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $35,825.50 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 $347.82 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement record for Western Sugar Company’s Billings facility reveals a pervasive breakdown in safety management systems, characterized