Utilities · Chicago, IL
City of Chicago - Dept. of Water Management
According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), City of Chicago - Dept. of Water Management ranks #5,441 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a concerning safety record: 30 violations across 16 inspections.
- $48,000
- OSHA penalties
- 30
- Violations cited
- 16
- OSHA inspections
- #5,441
- of 99,447 penalized employers
City of Chicago - Dept. of Water Management in Chicago, IL has been the subject of 16 OSHA workplace inspections and 30 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $48,000. Separately, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found $0 in back wages owed to an undisclosed number of workers. 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 - Dept. of Water Management 16 times over 13 years, roughly annually. These inspections resulted in 30 violations, averaging 1.9 per inspection. According to OSHA enforcement records, its total current penalty ranks #5,441 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers (the top 5% of penalized employers nationally). Of these, 25 were classified as serious and 4 as willful - indicating hazards that could cause death or serious harm. Against the Utilities industry average of 3 inspections per employer, this runs far above peers (6.1x the sector average) on inspection frequency. The Department of Labor also found wage violations, with $0 in back wages owed to an undisclosed number of workers. For comparison, Naknek Electric Association in Naknek, AK is another utilities employer with 3 OSHA inspections on record and $47,754 in current penalties.
- 1.9
- violations per inspection
- 83.3%
- of violations were serious
- #5,441
- of 99,447 penalized employers
- $0
- in back wages recovered
Compliance score
- D OSHA safety compliance: 30 violations across 16 OSHA inspections (1.9 per inspection), vs. national p10 0.0 (best) / p90 5.5 (worst) among 145,626 inspected employers.
- A Wage & hour compliance: $0 in back wages owed across 1 WHD case ($0 per case), vs. national p10 $2K (best) / p90 $58K (worst) among 91,622 employers with a WHD case on file.
How this employer compares on OSHA penalties
Total current penalty vs the Utilities per-employer average
- City of Chicago - Dept…
City of Chicago - Dept. of Water Management
$48,000 in penalties
- Utilities avg $5,509
Utilities industry average (per employer)
$5,509 in penalties
What this shows City of Chicago - Dept. of Water Management runs far above peers (8.7x 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
$48,000 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 Utilities employers with an OSHA inspection on record, placed by inspections and violations cited. The highlighted dot is City of Chicago - Dept. of Water Management.
City of Chicago - Dept. of Water Management in the Utilities enforcement ledger
Among 866 Utilities employers with OSHA penalties on file, City of Chicago - Dept. of Water Management ranks #85 at $48,000 current penalty.
Combined federal exposure here: $48,000 OSHA penalties plus $0 WHD back wages (0.0% of the combined total is wage recovery).
How City of Chicago - Dept. of Water Management Compares
City of Chicago - Dept. of Water Management's 1.88 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 far above peers (8.7x the sector average).
Enforcement detail
OSHA Inspection History
Total Inspections
16
First Inspection
2012-07-19
Last Inspection
2025-11-19
Inspection Span
13 yrs
Violations / Inspection
1.9
Avg Penalty / Inspection
$3,000
Industry Avg / Inspection
$2,104
What this shows 16 inspections over 13 years, averaging 1.9 violations per visit. That's $3,000 per inspection vs. the Utilities average of $2,104.
Enforcement detail
Violation Breakdown
25
Serious
83.3% of total
4
Willful
13.3% of total
1
Repeat
3.3% of total
0
Other-Than-Serious
0.0% 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
$48,000
Current Penalty Amount
$48,000
Penalty Reduction
None
Combined Impact (OSHA + WHD)
$48,000
What this shows No reduction on record. The current penalty matches the original OSHA assessment.
Wage & Hour Findings
Industry Safety Context: Utilities
How City of Chicago - Dept. of Water Management compares to the Utilities sector, which has 2,996 employers tracked by PlainWorker.
| Metric | City of Chicago - Dept. of Water Management | Industry Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Inspections | 16 | 2.6 |
| Violations | 30 | 6.1 |
| Total Penalty | $48,000 | $5,509 |
| Avg Penalty per Inspection | $3,000 | $2,104 |
Nationwide Utilities peers with similar penalties or inspection counts
Two OSHA-record peer sets for City of Chicago - Dept. 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 ($48,000 here).
Similar OSHA inspection count
Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (16 inspections here).
Nearby & Similar Employers in Utilities
Showing 5 of 2995 other employers tracked in this sector.
Compare City of Chicago - Dept. of Water Management vs Allamuchy Township side-by-side →
What to do with this record
Use City of Chicago - Dept. 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 - Dept. of Water Management against Allamuchy Township, a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
- See whether City of Chicago - Dept. 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
- City of Chicago - Dept. of Water Management also carries $0 in Wage and Hour Division back-wages, a separate enforcement track from OSHA safety violations. How wage-theft enforcement works
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.