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OROSHARecord

Our Methodology

OSHARecord makes workplace safety violation data searchable so workers can evaluate employers and researchers can analyze industry safety patterns. We present federal enforcement data factually, with industry context for fair comparisons.

Data Sources

  • OSHA Enforcement Data (IMIS) — Our primary source. The Integrated Management Information System contains inspection and violation records from all federal and state OSHA inspections. We download the full dataset from osha.gov/data/erd-data-files.
  • BLS Industry Injury Rates — Bureau of Labor Statistics data on workplace injury and illness rates by industry, used to benchmark companies against their industry average.

How We Calculate the Safety Score

Every company receives a Safety Score on a 0-100 scale (A-F) that benchmarks its workplace safety record against industry peers:

  • Violation Rate vs. Industry Average — 40% weight. The number of violations per inspection, compared against the average for the company's NAICS industry code. Companies with fewer violations than their industry peers score higher.
  • Serious/Willful Violation Ratio — 25% weight. The proportion of violations classified as "Serious" or "Willful" (the most severe categories). A high ratio of serious violations signals systematic safety failures rather than minor technical violations.
  • Repeat Violation Ratio — 20% weight. The percentage of violations that are classified as "Repeat" — meaning the same or similar hazard was previously cited. Repeat violations indicate the company failed to correct known hazards.
  • Penalty per Inspection vs. Average — 15% weight. Average proposed penalty amount per inspection, compared to the industry average. Higher penalties correlate with more severe violations.

Letter grades: A (80-100) indicates a safety record significantly better than industry average; F (0-34) indicates a poor safety record with serious or repeat violations.

OSHA Violation Types

OSHA classifies violations into several categories, which we display on every company page:

  • Willful — The employer intentionally and knowingly committed the violation. Maximum penalty: $156,259 per violation.
  • Serious — A hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm that the employer knew about or should have known about.
  • Repeat — The same or similar violation was found at the same employer within the past 5 years.
  • Other-than-Serious — A violation with a direct relationship to job safety but unlikely to cause death or serious harm.

Data Collection Process

We download the full OSHA IMIS enforcement dataset, normalize employer names across inspections, and aggregate by company. Industry benchmarking uses NAICS codes to compare companies against peers in the same sector.

Update Frequency

OSHA enforcement data is updated regularly as inspections are completed and citations are issued. We refresh our database quarterly to capture new inspection results and penalty assessments.

Known Limitations

  • OSHA only inspects a fraction of workplaces each year. The absence of violations does not necessarily mean a workplace is safe — it may simply mean it has not been inspected.
  • Companies may contest violations and penalties. Our data reflects initial citations, which may be modified or vacated through the appeals process.
  • Company name normalization is challenging. Large companies with multiple locations, subsidiaries, or DBAs may appear as separate entries.
  • State Plan states (about half of all states) run their own OSHA programs. While data is shared with federal OSHA, there may be differences in inspection priorities and citation practices.
  • The Safety Score is our own composite metric, not an OSHA or DOL designation.

How to Cite This Data

If you use data from OSHARecord, please cite:

OSHARecord. "[Company Name] Workplace Safety Data." osharecord.org, 2026. Accessed [date].

Underlying data is sourced from OSHA IMIS enforcement records and is in the public domain.