WESTLAKE VINYLS COMPANY, LP

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, WESTLAKE VINYLS COMPANY, LP — a all other basic organic chemical manufacturing facility located at 36045 HIGHWAY 30, GEISMAR, LA 70734 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 16 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $58,794.00. The inspection case was opened on 2012-03-22.

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 3.3 per 100 full-time workers — 22% above the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 2.3 per 100,000 workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $58,794.00 is more than 7.0× the national average of $8,414.32 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 325199). This sector encompasses 52,095 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $438.3M.

State Context: Within LA, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 19,587 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,582.10.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 16 citations spanning 2 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 12 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 3 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 18, 2012 with the latest abatement deadline set for March 1, 2016. Of the 16 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 $58,794.00 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 $3,674.63 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement record for Westlake Vinyls Company reveals a systemic failure of Process Safety Management (PSM) protocols, characterized by a high-density cluster of violations under 29 CFR 1910.119. The concentration of Serious citations across five critical PSM pillars—Process Safety Information, Process Hazard Analysis, Operating Procedures, Mechanical Integrity, and Management of Change—indicates