Utilities · Chicago, IL

City of Chicago - Department of Water Management

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), City of Chicago - Department of Water Management ranks #16,133 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a concerning safety record: 35 violations across 14 inspections.

Top 25% by penalty77% serious

Compiled by Plainworker · September 6, 2026

$21,500
OSHA penalties: 35
Violations cited: 14
OSHA inspections: #16,133
of 99,447 penalized employers

City of Chicago - Department of Water Management in Chicago, IL has been the subject of 14 OSHA workplace inspections and 35 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $21,500. All enforcement data below is sourced from the DOL public enforcement databases at data.dol.gov.

The record in one line

OSHA has inspected City of Chicago - Department of Water Management 14 times over 13 years, roughly annually. These inspections resulted in 35 violations, averaging 2.5 per inspection, above what's typical for a single visit. According to OSHA enforcement records, its total current penalty ranks #16,133 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers (the top quarter of penalized employers nationally). Of these, 27 were classified as serious - indicating hazards that could cause death or serious harm. Against the Utilities industry average of 3 inspections per employer, this runs far above peers (5.3x the sector average) on inspection frequency. For comparison, Camden County Mua in Camden, NJ is another utilities employer with 5 OSHA inspections on record and $21,600 in current penalties.

2.5
violations per inspection: 77.1%
of violations were serious: #16,133
of 99,447 penalized employers

Compliance score

D 54/100

D OSHA safety compliance: 35 violations across 14 OSHA inspections (2.5 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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City of Chicago - Depa…

$21,500
Utilities avg

$5,509

What this shows City of Chicago - Department of Water Management runs well above peers (3.9x 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

$21,500 Bottom 16% least affordable more affordable than 16% 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 Utilities employers with an OSHA inspection on record, placed by inspections and violations cited. The highlighted dot is City of Chicago - Department of Water Management.

City of Chicago - Department of Water Management has 14 OSHA inspections on record and 35 violations cited. The crosshair marks the median among these Utilities peers. Across this sector's tracked employers, more inspections is moderately associated with more violations found -- not a coincidence, but not a guarantee either.

City of Chicago - Department of Water Management in the Utilities enforcement ledger

Utilities sector: City of Chicago - Department of Water Management is the #219 heaviest OSHA penalty carrier of 866 employers with nonzero fines ($21,500).

How City of Chicago - Department of Water Management Compares

City of Chicago - Department of Water Management's 2.50 violations per inspection compares to the Utilities sector average of 6.1 violations per employer.

Against the Utilities industry average of $5,509 per employer, this employer's current OSHA penalty runs well above peers (3.9x the sector average).

Total Inspections

First Inspection

2010-09-02

Last Inspection

2024-01-22

Inspection Span

13 yrs

Violations / Inspection

2.5

Avg Penalty / Inspection

$1,536

Industry Avg / Inspection

$2,104

What this shows 14 inspections over 13 years, averaging 2.5 violations per visit. That's $1,536 per inspection vs. the Utilities average of $2,104.

Serious

77.1% of total

Willful

0.0% of total

Repeat

14.3% of total

Other-Than-Serious

8.6% 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

$21,500

Current Penalty Amount

$21,500

Penalty Reduction

None

What this shows No reduction on record. The current penalty matches the original OSHA assessment.

Industry Safety Context: Utilities

How City of Chicago - Department of Water Management compares to the Utilities sector, which has 2,996 employers tracked by PlainWorker.

Metric	City of Chicago - Department of Water Management	Industry Avg
Inspections	14	2.6
Violations	35	6.1
Total Penalty	$21,500	$5,509
Avg Penalty per Inspection	$1,536	$2,104

View all 2,996 employers in Utilities →

Nationwide Utilities peers with similar penalties or inspection counts

Two OSHA-record peer sets for City of Chicago - Department of Water Management, both outside IL so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.

Similar current OSHA penalty

Nearest same-sector employers by current assessed penalty ($21,500 here).

Acs Industrial Activities, INC $21,557 NV ST. Croix Gas, INC. $21,432 VI Camden County Mua $21,600 NJ Great River Hydro, LLC $21,829 VT

Similar OSHA inspection count

Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (14 inspections here).

Basin Electric Power Cooperative 14 insp. Wheatland, WY Army Corps of Engineers 14 insp. The Dalles, OR East Bay Municipal Utility District 13 insp. Oakland, CA Western Virginia Water Authority 15 insp. Roanoke, VA

Nearby & Similar Employers in Utilities

Showing 5 of 2995 other employers tracked in this sector.

National O & M, Inc

Las Vegas, NV

0 inspections $0

Acs Industrial Activities, INC

Tonopah, NV

3 inspections $21,557

ST. Croix Gas, INC.

Christiansted, VI

2 inspections $21,432

Camden County Mua

Camden, NJ

5 inspections $21,600

Great River Hydro, LLC

Readsboro, VT

2 inspections $21,829

Compare City of Chicago - Department of Water Management vs National O & M, Inc side-by-side →

What to do with this record

Use City of Chicago - Department of Water Management's enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.

A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare City of Chicago - Department of Water Management against National O & M, Inc, a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
See whether City of Chicago - Department of Water Management's inspection and penalty record is typical for Utilities or an outlier against the sector's own average. View the Utilities 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 City of Chicago - Department of Water Management safe to work at? ▼

Based on OSHA records, City of Chicago - Department of Water Management's workplace safety record is concerning, with multiple serious compliance issues. The employer has 35 violations across 14 inspections, including 27 serious violations. Compared to Utilities industry peers, this is above average for penalties. Review the full inspection history below for details.

How many OSHA violations does City of Chicago - Department of Water Management have? ▼

City of Chicago - Department of Water Management has 35 OSHA violations on record, including 27 serious, 0 willful, and 5 repeat violations. The total current penalty amount is $21,500.

How many OSHA inspections has City of Chicago - Department of Water Management had? ▼

City of Chicago - Department of Water Management has had 14 OSHA inspections, with the first recorded on 2010-09-02 and the most recent on 2024-01-22. This averages 2.5 violations per inspection.

What is the total penalty amount for City of Chicago - Department of Water Management? ▼

City of Chicago - Department of Water Management has been assessed $21,500 in current OSHA penalties.

Does City of Chicago - Department of Water Management have any serious or willful violations? ▼

Yes. City of Chicago - Department of Water Management has 27 serious violations, and 5 repeat 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 City of Chicago - Department of Water Management operate in? ▼

City of Chicago - Department of Water Management operates in the Utilities sector (NAICS code 221310). This industry has 2,996 employers tracked by PlainWorker, with 7,843 total OSHA inspections and $16.51M in cumulative penalties.

Where does City of Chicago - Department of Water Management rank nationally on OSHA penalties? ▼

Among the 99,447 U.S. employers with a nonzero current OSHA penalty in PlainWorker's corpus, City of Chicago - Department of Water Management ranks #16,133 (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 City of Chicago - Department of Water Management's safety record compare to industry average? ▼

City of Chicago - Department of Water Management's total OSHA penalty of $21,500 is above the Utilities industry average of $5,509 per employer (3.9x the average). The employer has 14 inspections compared to the industry average of 2.6 per employer. For a direct comparison, Camden County Mua in Camden, NJ is a similar utilities employer with $21,600 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.