Manufacturing · Rice Lake, WI

Besse Forest Products Group

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Besse Forest Products Group ranks #4,815 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a mixed safety record: 14 violations across 5 inspections.

Top 5% by penalty71% serious

Compiled by Plainworker · September 6, 2026

$52,180
OSHA penalties: 14
Violations cited: 5
OSHA inspections: #4,815
of 99,447 penalized employers

Besse Forest Products Group in Rice Lake, WI has been the subject of 5 OSHA workplace inspections and 14 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $52,180. All enforcement data below is sourced from the DOL public enforcement databases at data.dol.gov.

The record in one line

OSHA has inspected Besse Forest Products Group 5 times over 5 years, roughly annually. These inspections resulted in 14 violations, averaging 2.8 per inspection, above what's typical for a single visit. According to OSHA enforcement records, its total current penalty ranks #4,815 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers (the top 5% of penalized employers nationally). Of these, 10 were classified as serious - indicating hazards that could cause death or serious harm. Against the Manufacturing industry average of 3 inspections per employer, this runs moderately above peers (1.9x the sector average) on inspection frequency. For comparison, SGL Carbon, LLC - Saint Marys in Saint Marys, PA is another manufacturing employer with 5 OSHA inspections on record and $52,214 in current penalties.

2.8
violations per inspection: 71.4%
of violations were serious: #4,815
of 99,447 penalized employers

Compliance score

F 49/100

F OSHA safety compliance: 14 violations across 5 OSHA inspections (2.8 per inspection), vs. national p10 0.0 (best) / p90 5.5 (worst) among 145,626 inspected employers.

Channels are separate federal datasets: a dimension marked not applicable simply has no record in that dataset for this employer, not a good or bad score.

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Besse Forest Products …

$52,180
Manufacturing avg

$15,763

What this shows Besse Forest Products Group runs well above peers (3.3x the sector average) in total OSHA penalties.

Where this penalty ranks nationally

Total current OSHA penalty vs every U.S. employer with a nonzero penalty

$52,180 Bottom 5% least affordable more affordable than 5% of 99,447 U.S. employers with a penalty

Each bar is a $5K-wide band; taller bars hold more U.S. employers with a penalty. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA enforcement extracts · 2026

Does more inspection scrutiny mean more findings?

Each dot is one of 21 Manufacturing employers with an OSHA inspection on record, placed by inspections and violations cited. The highlighted dot is Besse Forest Products Group.

Besse Forest Products Group has 5 OSHA inspections on record and 14 violations cited. The crosshair marks the median among these Manufacturing peers. Across this sector's tracked employers, more inspections is moderately associated with more violations found -- not a coincidence, but not a guarantee either.

Besse Forest Products Group in the Manufacturing enforcement ledger

Among 35,243 Manufacturing employers with OSHA penalties on file, Besse Forest Products Group ranks #2,455 at $52,180 current penalty.

How Besse Forest Products Group Compares

Besse Forest Products Group's 2.80 violations per inspection compares to the Manufacturing sector average of 8.0 violations per employer.

Against the Manufacturing industry average of $15,763 per employer, this employer's current OSHA penalty runs well above peers (3.3x the sector average).

Total Inspections

First Inspection

2018-10-12

Last Inspection

2023-08-08

Inspection Span

5 yrs

Violations / Inspection

2.8

Avg Penalty / Inspection

$10,436

Industry Avg / Inspection

$6,093

What this shows 5 inspections over 5 years, averaging 2.8 violations per visit. That's $10,436 per inspection vs. the Manufacturing average of $6,093.

Serious

71.4% of total

Willful

0.0% of total

Repeat

0.0% of total

Other-Than-Serious

28.6% of total

What this shows Serious violations involve hazards that could cause death or serious physical harm. Willful violations indicate intentional or knowing disregard of the law. Repeat violations are for hazards previously cited within the past 5 years.

Initial Penalty Assessed

$67,709

Current Penalty Amount

$52,180

Penalty Reduction

22.9%

What this shows Penalties were reduced by $15,529 from the initial assessment of $67,709. Reductions may result from informal settlements, formal contests, or negotiated agreements with OSHA.

Industry Safety Context: Manufacturing

How Besse Forest Products Group compares to the Manufacturing sector, which has 44,645 employers tracked by PlainWorker.

Metric	Besse Forest Products Group	Industry Avg
Inspections	5	2.6
Violations	14	8.0
Total Penalty	$52,180	$15,763
Avg Penalty per Inspection	$10,436	$6,093

View all 44,645 employers in Manufacturing →

Nationwide Manufacturing peers with similar penalties or inspection counts

Two OSHA-record peer sets for Besse Forest Products Group, both outside WI so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.

Similar current OSHA penalty

Nearest same-sector employers by current assessed penalty ($52,180 here).

W.R. Meadows, INC. $52,194 IL Kiswire Pine Bluff, INC. $52,205 AR Morin Corporation $52,150 CT SGL Carbon, LLC - Saint Marys $52,214 PA

Similar OSHA inspection count

Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (5 inspections here).

The Sherwin-Williams Company 5 insp. Garland, TX Flambeau, INC. 5 insp. Madison, GA Allied West Paper CORP. 5 insp. Fontana, CA Cupples' J & J CO., INC. 5 insp. Jackson, TN

Nearby & Similar Employers in Manufacturing

Showing 5 of 44644 other employers tracked in this sector.

W.R. Meadows, INC.

Hampshire, IL

5 inspections $52,194

Kiswire Pine Bluff, INC.

Pine Bluff, AR

2 inspections $52,205

Morin Corporation

Bristol, CT

5 inspections $52,150

SGL Carbon, LLC - Saint Marys

Saint Marys, PA

5 inspections $52,214

Durez Corporation

Kenton, OH

5 inspections $52,138

Compare Besse Forest Products Group vs W.R. Meadows, INC. side-by-side →

What to do with this record

Use Besse Forest Products Group's enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.

A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare Besse Forest Products Group against W.R. Meadows, INC., a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
See whether Besse Forest Products Group's inspection and penalty record is typical for Manufacturing or an outlier against the sector's own average. View the Manufacturing sector
Before you accept a job or raise a safety concern, search any employer for its own OSHA inspection history the same way you found this one. Search employers

Figures reflect closed OSHA and WHD federal enforcement actions on record (2010–2026); not every workplace issue results in an inspection or investigation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Besse Forest Products Group safe to work at? ▼

Based on OSHA records, Besse Forest Products Group's workplace safety record is mixed, with some compliance concerns. The employer has 14 violations across 5 inspections, including 10 serious violations. Compared to Manufacturing industry peers, this is above average for penalties. Review the full inspection history below for details.

How many OSHA violations does Besse Forest Products Group have? ▼

Besse Forest Products Group has 14 OSHA violations on record, including 10 serious, 0 willful, and 0 repeat violations. The total current penalty amount is $52,180.

How many OSHA inspections has Besse Forest Products Group had? ▼

Besse Forest Products Group has had 5 OSHA inspections, with the first recorded on 2018-10-12 and the most recent on 2023-08-08. This averages 2.8 violations per inspection.

What is the total penalty amount for Besse Forest Products Group? ▼

Besse Forest Products Group has been assessed $52,180 in current OSHA penalties, reduced from an initial assessment of $67,709 (a 22.9% reduction).

Does Besse Forest Products Group have any serious or willful violations? ▼

Yes. Besse Forest Products Group has 10 serious violations. Serious violations involve hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Willful violations indicate the employer intentionally or knowingly disregarded the law.

What industry does Besse Forest Products Group operate in? ▼

Besse Forest Products Group operates in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS code 321211). This industry has 44,645 employers tracked by PlainWorker, with 115,492 total OSHA inspections and $703.72M in cumulative penalties.

Where does Besse Forest Products Group rank nationally on OSHA penalties? ▼

Among the 99,447 U.S. employers with a nonzero current OSHA penalty in PlainWorker's corpus, Besse Forest Products Group ranks #4,815 (the top 5% of penalized employers nationally). The ordinal is a live COUNT of employers with a lower total_current_penalty; see the methodology page for the exact derivation.

How does Besse Forest Products Group's safety record compare to industry average? ▼

Besse Forest Products Group's total OSHA penalty of $52,180 is above the Manufacturing industry average of $15,763 per employer (3.3x the average). The employer has 5 inspections compared to the industry average of 2.6 per employer. For a direct comparison, SGL Carbon, LLC - Saint Marys in Saint Marys, PA is a similar manufacturing employer with $52,214 in current penalties.

Data Sources & Methodology ▼

Data as of 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Labor (OSHA, WHD).

Source: OSHA Enforcement Data

Inspection and violation records from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor, covering the period 2010–2026. Includes inspection dates, violation types (serious, willful, repeat, other-than-serious), and penalty amounts. Penalties shown are current assessed amounts and may differ from original citations due to settlement, contest, or reduction.

Source: Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

Compliance actions from the WHD, covering enforcement of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), including minimum wage, overtime, and child labor violations. Back wages represent amounts owed to affected employees as determined by WHD investigations.

Employer Matching

Employers are matched across OSHA and WHD datasets by name, state, and city. Employers included in PlainWorker have 2 or more OSHA inspections or $1,000+ in WHD back wages. Data is updated monthly from data.dol.gov.