YOKOHAMA TIRE MANUFACTURING VIRGINIA, LLC

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, YOKOHAMA TIRE MANUFACTURING VIRGINIA, LLC — a manufacturing facility located at 1500 INDIANA STREET, SALEM, VA 24153 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 35 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $211,028.55. The inspection case was opened on 2019-01-24.

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.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $211,028.55 is more than 25.1× the national average of $8,414.32 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 326211). This sector encompasses 52,095 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $438.3M.

State Context: Within VA, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 62,574 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $2,237.86.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 35 citations spanning 7 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. 2 repeat — A substantially similar violation was found during a previous inspection and the original citation has become a final order. 1 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 May 20, 2015 with the latest abatement deadline set for July 17, 2018. Of the 35 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 $211,028.55 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 $6,029.39 falls within the standard penalty range.

The 2019 enforcement action against Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Virginia, LLC, revealed a deeply entrenched pattern of non-compliance, specifically regarding the control of hazardous energy and machine safeguarding. The assessment of over $211,000 in penalties—a figure significantly higher than the industry average for tire manufacturing—was driven largely by "Repeat" violations of 29 CFR 1910.147. For the workforce, these repeated failures in Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) procedures meant that maintenance personnel were consistently exposed to unexpected machine energization, a leading