YERKES PLANT E.I. DUPONT DE NEMOURS COMPANY

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, YERKES PLANT E.I. DUPONT DE NEMOURS COMPANY — a resin, synthetic rubber, and artificial and synthetic fibers and filaments manufacturing facility located at 3115 RIVER ROAD, BUFFALO, NY 14207 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 19 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $73,982.25. The inspection case was opened on 2016-09-22.

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 $73,982.25 is more than 8.8× the national average of $8,414.32 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 325221). This sector encompasses 52,095 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $438.3M.

State Context: Within NY, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 140,736 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $2,208.33.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 19 citations spanning 5 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 13 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.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning April 29, 2011 with the latest abatement deadline set for January 27, 2012. Of the 19 total citations, 4 (21%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $73,982.25 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 $3,893.80 falls within the standard penalty range.

The 2016 enforcement action at the Yerkes Plant revealed a systemic breakdown in high