Public Administration · Rock Falls, IL
City of Sterling - Fire Dept.
According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), City of Sterling - Fire Dept. ranks #14,173 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a concerning safety record: 5 violations across 2 inspections.
- $24,000
- OSHA penalties
- 5
- Violations cited
- 2
- OSHA inspections
- #14,173
- of 99,447 penalized employers
City of Sterling - Fire Dept. in Rock Falls, IL has been the subject of 2 OSHA workplace inspections and 5 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $24,000. 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 Sterling - Fire Dept. 2 times over 3 years, roughly once every couple of years. These inspections resulted in 5 violations, averaging 2.5 per inspection, above what's typical for a single visit. According to OSHA enforcement records, its total current penalty ranks #14,173 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers (the top quarter of penalized employers nationally). Of these, 2 were classified as serious and 3 as willful - indicating hazards that could cause death or serious harm. Against the Public Administration industry average of 3 inspections per employer, this runs moderately below peers (0.6x the sector average) on inspection frequency. For comparison, Phillipsburg Municipal Building in Phillipsburg, NJ is another public administration employer with 4 OSHA inspections on record and $23,800 in current penalties.
- 2.5
- violations per inspection
- 40.0%
- of violations were serious
- #14,173
- of 99,447 penalized employers
Compliance score
- D OSHA safety compliance: 5 violations across 2 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.
How City of Sterling - Fire Dept. compares on OSHA penalties
Total current penalty vs the Public Administration per-employer average
- City of Sterling - Fir…
City of Sterling - Fire Dept.
$24,000 in penalties
- Public Administration avg $2,606
Public Administration industry average (per employer)
$2,606 in penalties
What this shows City of Sterling - Fire Dept. runs far above peers (9.2x 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
$24,000 Bottom 14% least affordable more affordable than 14% 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 Public Administration employers with an OSHA inspection on record, placed by inspections and violations cited. The highlighted dot is City of Sterling - Fire Dept..
City of Sterling - Fire Dept. in the Public Administration enforcement ledger
Public Administration sector: City of Sterling - Fire Dept. is the #279 heaviest OSHA penalty carrier of 1,870 employers with nonzero fines ($24,000).
How City of Sterling - Fire Dept. Compares
City of Sterling - Fire Dept.'s 2.50 violations per inspection compares to the Public Administration sector average of 6.4 violations per employer.
Against the Public Administration industry average of $2,606 per employer, this employer's current OSHA penalty runs far above peers (9.2x the sector average).
Enforcement detail
OSHA Inspection History
Total Inspections
2
First Inspection
2021-12-10
Last Inspection
2024-09-18
Inspection Span
3 yrs
Violations / Inspection
2.5
Avg Penalty / Inspection
$12,000
Industry Avg / Inspection
$827
What this shows 2 inspections over 3 years, averaging 2.5 violations per visit. That's $12,000 per inspection vs. the Public Administration average of $827.
Enforcement detail
Violation Breakdown
2
Serious
40.0% of total
3
Willful
60.0% of total
0
Repeat
0.0% 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
$24,000
Current Penalty Amount
$24,000
Penalty Reduction
None
What this shows No reduction on record. The current penalty matches the original OSHA assessment.
Industry Safety Context: Public Administration
How City of Sterling - Fire Dept. compares to the Public Administration sector, which has 9,693 employers tracked by PlainWorker.
| Metric | City of Sterling - Fire Dept. | Industry Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Inspections | 2 | 3.2 |
| Violations | 5 | 6.4 |
| Total Penalty | $24,000 | $2,606 |
| Avg Penalty per Inspection | $12,000 | $827 |
Nationwide Public Administration peers with similar penalties or inspection counts
Two OSHA-record peer sets for City of Sterling - Fire Dept., both outside IL so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.
Similar current OSHA penalty
Nearest same-sector employers by current assessed penalty ($24,000 here).
Similar OSHA inspection count
Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (2 inspections here).
Nearby & Similar Employers in Public Administration
Showing 5 of 9692 other employers tracked in this sector.
Compare City of Sterling - Fire Dept. vs Uplands Police Department side-by-side →
What to do with this record
Use City of Sterling - Fire Dept.'s enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.
- A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare City of Sterling - Fire Dept. against Uplands Police Department, a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
- See whether City of Sterling - Fire Dept.'s inspection and penalty record is typical for Public Administration or an outlier against the sector's own average. View the Public Administration 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.