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Employers › IL

Wholesale Trade · Elgin, IL

Bluff City Metal Recycling INC.

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. ranks #12,788 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a concerning safety record: 18 violations across 4 inspections.

Top 25% by penalty78% serious
$25,949
OSHA penalties
18
Violations cited
4
OSHA inspections
#12,788
of 99,447 penalized employers

Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. in Elgin, IL has been the subject of 4 OSHA workplace inspections and 18 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $25,949. All enforcement data below is sourced from the DOL public enforcement databases at data.dol.gov.

The record in one line

OSHA has inspected Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. 4 times over 2 years - more than twice a year on average. These inspections resulted in 18 violations, averaging 4.5 per inspection, above what's typical for a single visit. According to OSHA enforcement records, its total current penalty ranks #12,788 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers (the top quarter of penalized employers nationally). Of these, 14 were classified as serious - indicating hazards that could cause death or serious harm. Against the Wholesale Trade industry average of 2 inspections per employer, this runs well above peers (2.0x the sector average) on inspection frequency. For comparison, Lilly's Recycling & Auto Salvage in Thomasville, NC is another wholesale trade employer with 0 OSHA inspections on record and $0 in current penalties.

4.5
violations per inspection
77.8%
of violations were serious
#12,788
of 99,447 penalized employers

Compliance score

F 25/100
  • F OSHA safety compliance: 18 violations across 4 OSHA inspections (4.5 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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How this employer compares on OSHA penalties

Total current penalty vs the Wholesale Trade per-employer average

in penalties

What this shows Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. runs well above peers (2.8x the sector average) in total OSHA penalties.

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

Where this penalty ranks nationally

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

$25,949 Bottom 13% least affordable more affordable than 13% of 99,447 U.S. employers with a penalty

$0–$5,000: 43,959 U.S. employers with a penalty (44%). Below this entry. $5,000–$10,000: 20,304 U.S. employers with a penalty (20%). Below this entry. $10,000–$15,000: 11,027 U.S. employers with a penalty (11%). Below this entry. $15,000–$20,000: 6,546 U.S. employers with a penalty (7%). Below this entry. $20,000–$25,000: 4,175 U.S. employers with a penalty (4%). Below this entry. $25,000–$30,000: 2,877 U.S. employers with a penalty (3%). This entry sits in this band. $30,000–$35,000: 2,036 U.S. employers with a penalty (2%). Above this entry. $35,000–$40,000: 1,493 U.S. employers with a penalty (2%). Above this entry. $40,000–$45,000: 1,095 U.S. employers with a penalty (1%). Above this entry. $45,000–$50,000: 785 U.S. employers with a penalty (1%). Above this entry. $50,000–$55,000: 5,150 U.S. employers with a penalty (5%). Above this entry. This employer $0 $55,000 every penalized U.S. employer, bucketed by value

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 Wholesale Trade employers with an OSHA inspection on record, placed by inspections and violations cited. The highlighted dot is Bluff City Metal Recycling INC..

Frequently inspected, many findingsRarely inspected, many findingsFrequently inspected, clean recordBelow median on both4.04.044.04.00.58.516.524.532.5OSHA inspectionsViolations citedG3 INDUSTRIES INC., OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 9BACKER MARATHON, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 13MID KANSAS COOPERATI…, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 9VALLEY RECYCLING INC, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 15TKO POLYMERS, LLC, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 10ARGO CHEMICAL, INC., OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 7CHERRY CITY METALS LLC, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 11NEW ENGLAND METAL SE…, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 22INTEX DIY, INC, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 8ARMOR METALS & RECYC…, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 8FREMONT PLASTIC PROD…, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 14FERDO REFRIGERATION …, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 31REINHART FOODSERVICE…, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 9ARACRUZ INTERNATIONA…, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 4ASSOCIATED WHOLESALE…, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 2WBM INTERNATIONAL, LLC, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 13CONTINENTAL DAIRY PR…, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 3LKQ OF MICHIGAN, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 14KIMBLE COMPANY, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 2LINCOLN RECYCLING, I…, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 7Bluff City Metal Rec…, OSHA inspections: 4 · Violations cited: 18
Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. has 4 OSHA inspections on record and 18 violations cited. The crosshair marks the median among these Wholesale Trade peers. Across this sector's tracked employers, more inspections is moderately associated with more violations found -- not a coincidence, but not a guarantee either.

Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. in the Wholesale Trade enforcement ledger

In Wholesale Trade, Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. sits at penalty rank #545 of 4,429 penalized establishments ($25,949 assessed).

How Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. Compares

Bluff City Metal Recycling INC.'s 4.50 violations per inspection compares to the Wholesale Trade sector average of 5.5 violations per employer.

Against the Wholesale Trade industry average of $9,112 per employer, this employer's current OSHA penalty runs well above peers (2.8x the sector average).

Enforcement detail

OSHA Inspection History

Total Inspections

4

First Inspection

2024-07-26

Last Inspection

2026-04-20

Inspection Span

2 yrs

Violations / Inspection

4.5

Avg Penalty / Inspection

$6,487

Industry Avg / Inspection

$4,665

What this shows 4 inspections over 2 years, averaging 4.5 violations per visit. That's $6,487 per inspection vs. the Wholesale Trade average of $4,665.

Enforcement detail

Violation Breakdown

14

Serious

77.8% of total

0

Willful

0.0% of total

0

Repeat

0.0% of total

4

Other-Than-Serious

22.2% 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.

Enforcement detail

Penalty Analysis

Initial Penalty Assessed

$60,244

Current Penalty Amount

$25,949

Penalty Reduction

56.9%

What this shows Penalties were reduced by $34,295 from the initial assessment of $60,244. Reductions may result from informal settlements, formal contests, or negotiated agreements with OSHA.

Industry Safety Context: Wholesale Trade

How Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. compares to the Wholesale Trade sector, which has 6,881 employers tracked by PlainWorker.

Metric Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. Industry Avg
Inspections 4 2.0
Violations 18 5.5
Total Penalty $25,949 $9,112
Avg Penalty per Inspection $6,487 $4,665
View all 6,881 employers in Wholesale Trade →

Nationwide Wholesale Trade peers with similar penalties or inspection counts

Two OSHA-record peer sets for Bluff City Metal Recycling INC., both outside IL so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.

Similar current OSHA penalty

Nearest same-sector employers by current assessed penalty ($25,949 here).

Starwest Botanicals, INC. $25,965 CA HI-Plains Cooperative Association $25,910 KS Backer Marathon $26,000 TX Oldham Lumber CO.,INC. $25,873 TX

Similar OSHA inspection count

Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (4 inspections here).

G3 Industries INC. 4 insp. Mosinee, WI Backer Marathon 4 insp. Del Rio, TX Mid Kansas Cooperative Association 4 insp. Whitewater, KS Valley Recycling INC 4 insp. Pacific, WA

Nearby & Similar Employers in Wholesale Trade

Showing 5 of 6880 other employers tracked in this sector.

Starwest Botanicals, INC.
Sacramento, CA
2 inspections $25,965
Lilly's Recycling & Auto Salvage
Thomasville, NC
0 inspections $0
F.W. Webb (Bedford #47)(MAIN FILE)
Bedford, MA
0 inspections $0
HI-Plains Cooperative Association
Grainfield, KS
2 inspections $25,910
Maplehurst Farms, INC.
Rochelle, IL
3 inspections $25,909

Compare Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. vs Starwest Botanicals, INC. side-by-side →

What to do with this record

Use Bluff City Metal Recycling INC.'s enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.

  • A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. against Starwest Botanicals, INC., a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
  • See whether Bluff City Metal Recycling INC.'s inspection and penalty record is typical for Wholesale Trade or an outlier against the sector's own average. View the Wholesale Trade 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 Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. safe to work at? ▼
Based on OSHA records, Bluff City Metal Recycling INC.'s workplace safety record is concerning, with multiple serious compliance issues. The employer has 18 violations across 4 inspections, including 14 serious violations. Compared to Wholesale Trade industry peers, this is above average for penalties. Review the full inspection history below for details.
How many OSHA violations does Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. have? ▼
Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. has 18 OSHA violations on record, including 14 serious, 0 willful, and 0 repeat violations. The total current penalty amount is $25,949.
How many OSHA inspections has Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. had? ▼
Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. has had 4 OSHA inspections, with the first recorded on 2024-07-26 and the most recent on 2026-04-20. This averages 4.5 violations per inspection.
What is the total penalty amount for Bluff City Metal Recycling INC.? ▼
Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. has been assessed $25,949 in current OSHA penalties, reduced from an initial assessment of $60,244 (a 56.9% reduction).
Does Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. have any serious or willful violations? ▼
Yes. Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. has 14 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 Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. operate in? ▼
Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. operates in the Wholesale Trade sector (NAICS code 423930). This industry has 6,881 employers tracked by PlainWorker, with 13,442 total OSHA inspections and $62.70M in cumulative penalties.
Where does Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. rank nationally on OSHA penalties? ▼
Among the 99,447 U.S. employers with a nonzero current OSHA penalty in PlainWorker's corpus, Bluff City Metal Recycling INC. ranks #12,788 (the top quarter 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 Bluff City Metal Recycling INC.'s safety record compare to industry average? ▼
Bluff City Metal Recycling INC.'s total OSHA penalty of $25,949 is above the Wholesale Trade industry average of $9,112 per employer (2.8x the average). The employer has 4 inspections compared to the industry average of 2.0 per employer. For a direct comparison, Lilly's Recycling & Auto Salvage in Thomasville, NC is a similar wholesale trade employer with $0 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.

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Every figure on PlainWorker is rendered directly from official U.S. Department of Labor OSHA and Wage & Hour Division enforcement records, no number is typed in by an editor. This employer's ratios (penalty-per-violation, industry comparisons) are computed live from the 4 inspections on record. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.