Wholesale Trade · Chicago, IL
Central Steel & Wire Company
According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Central Steel & Wire Company ranks #2,657 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a mixed safety record: 13 violations across 12 inspections.
- $77,483
- OSHA penalties
- 13
- Violations cited
- 12
- OSHA inspections
- #2,657
- of 99,447 penalized employers
Central Steel & Wire Company in Chicago, IL has been the subject of 12 OSHA workplace inspections and 13 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $77,483. All enforcement data below is sourced from the DOL public enforcement databases at data.dol.gov.
The record in one line
OSHA has inspected Central Steel & Wire Company 12 times over 13 years, roughly once every couple of years. These inspections resulted in 13 violations, averaging 1.1 per inspection. According to OSHA enforcement records, its total current penalty ranks #2,657 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 Wholesale Trade industry average of 2 inspections per employer, this runs far above peers (6.1x the sector average) on inspection frequency. For comparison, F.W. Webb (Malden #51) in Malden, MA is another wholesale trade employer with 0 OSHA inspections on record and $0 in current penalties.
- 1.1
- violations per inspection
- 76.9%
- of violations were serious
- #2,657
- of 99,447 penalized employers
Compliance score
- C OSHA safety compliance: 13 violations across 12 OSHA inspections (1.1 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.
How Central Steel & Wire Company compares on OSHA penalties
Total current penalty vs the Wholesale Trade per-employer average
- Central Steel & Wire C…
Central Steel & Wire Company
$77,483 in penalties
- Wholesale Trade avg $9,112
Wholesale Trade industry average (per employer)
$9,112 in penalties
What this shows Central Steel & Wire Company runs far above peers (8.5x 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
$77,483 Bottom 3% least affordable more affordable than 3% 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 Wholesale Trade employers with an OSHA inspection on record, placed by inspections and violations cited. The highlighted dot is Central Steel & Wire Company.
Central Steel & Wire Company in the Wholesale Trade enforcement ledger
In Wholesale Trade, Central Steel & Wire Company sits at penalty rank #98 of 4,429 penalized establishments ($77,483 assessed).
How Central Steel & Wire Company Compares
Central Steel & Wire Company's 1.08 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 far above peers (8.5x the sector average).
Enforcement detail
OSHA Inspection History
Total Inspections
12
First Inspection
2011-04-06
Last Inspection
2024-02-01
Inspection Span
13 yrs
Violations / Inspection
1.1
Avg Penalty / Inspection
$6,457
Industry Avg / Inspection
$4,665
What this shows 12 inspections over 13 years, averaging 1.1 violations per visit. That's $6,457 per inspection vs. the Wholesale Trade average of $4,665.
Enforcement detail
Violation Breakdown
10
Serious
76.9% of total
0
Willful
0.0% of total
0
Repeat
0.0% of total
3
Other-Than-Serious
23.1% 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
$103,670
Current Penalty Amount
$77,483
Penalty Reduction
25.3%
What this shows Penalties were reduced by $26,187 from the initial assessment of $103,670. Reductions may result from informal settlements, formal contests, or negotiated agreements with OSHA.
Industry Safety Context: Wholesale Trade
How Central Steel & Wire Company compares to the Wholesale Trade sector, which has 6,881 employers tracked by PlainWorker.
| Metric | Central Steel & Wire Company | Industry Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Inspections | 12 | 2.0 |
| Violations | 13 | 5.5 |
| Total Penalty | $77,483 | $9,112 |
| Avg Penalty per Inspection | $6,457 | $4,665 |
Nationwide Wholesale Trade peers with similar penalties or inspection counts
Two OSHA-record peer sets for Central Steel & Wire Company, both outside IL so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.
Similar current OSHA penalty
Nearest same-sector employers by current assessed penalty ($77,483 here).
Similar OSHA inspection count
Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (12 inspections here).
Nearby & Similar Employers in Wholesale Trade
Showing 5 of 6880 other employers tracked in this sector.
Compare Central Steel & Wire Company vs Pruett Air Conditioning side-by-side →
What to do with this record
Use Central Steel & Wire Company's enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.
- A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare Central Steel & Wire Company against Pruett Air Conditioning, a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
- See whether Central Steel & Wire Company'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
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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.