WILLBANKS METALS, INC.

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, WILLBANKS METALS, INC. — a metal service centers and other metal merchant wholesalers facility located at 1155 NE 28TH STREET, FORT WORTH, TX 76106 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 22 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $85,418.60. The inspection case was opened on 2018-03-06.

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 2.6 per 100 full-time workers — near the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 4.4 per 100,000 workers.

EPA Environmental Record: regulated under: Clean Water Act. Source: EPA ECHO database.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $85,418.60 is more than 16.5× the national average of $5,185.75 for facilities in the Wholesale sector (NAICS 423510). This sector encompasses 30,869 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $160.1M.

State Context: Within TX, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 119,485 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,783.80.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 22 citations spanning 10 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 11 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. 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 15, 2014 with the latest abatement deadline set for November 17, 2017. Of the 22 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 $85,418.60 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 $3,882.66 falls within the standard penalty range.

The 2018 enforcement action against Willbanks Metals, Inc. reveals a breakdown in fundamental safety management systems, characterized by a high volume of Serious and Repeat violations that exceed industry norms for metal service centers. The citation profile indicates a systemic failure to implement a functional Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) program, specifically regarding machine-specific procedures and employee training. For workers, these omissions represent a high-probability risk of amputation or crushed limbs during equipment maintenance. The presence of a Repeat violation under 1910.179—pertaining to overhead crane inspections—is particularly damning; it demonstrates that management failed to rectify known mechanical hazards following previous OSHA interventions, suggesting a reactive rather than proactive safety culture. Furthermore, the simultaneous citations for noise monitoring (1910.95) and improper material storage (1910.176) point to a generalized neglect of the physical work environment. The penalty total of over $85,000 is significantly elevated for this NAICS code, reflecting the gravity of exposing employees to unmitigated kinetic and acoustic hazards. The administrative failures, including improper injury reporting (1904.39), suggest that the facility’s safety leadership lacked the necessary oversight to track and mitigate occupational risks. Collectively, these findings portray a facility where production demands likely superseded mechanical integrity and regulatory compliance, resulting in a pervasive environment of avoidable physical risk.