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Employers › TX

Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas · Pecos, TX

Desta Drilling Company

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Desta Drilling Company ranks #23,659 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a concerning safety record: 5 violations across 2 inspections.

Top 25% by penalty80% serious
$15,247
OSHA penalties
5
Violations cited
2
OSHA inspections
#23,659
of 99,447 penalized employers

Desta Drilling Company in Pecos, TX 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: $15,247. All enforcement data below is sourced from the DOL public enforcement databases at data.dol.gov.

The record in one line

OSHA has inspected Desta Drilling Company 2 times over 1 year - more than twice a year on average. 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 #23,659 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers (the top quarter of penalized employers nationally). Of these, 4 were classified as serious - indicating hazards that could cause death or serious harm. Against the Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas industry average of 2 inspections per employer, this sits roughly in line with peers (0.9x the sector average) on inspection frequency. For comparison, Santa Paula Materials, INC. in Santa Paula, CA is another mining, quarrying, oil & gas employer with 8 OSHA inspections on record and $15,215 in current penalties.

2.5
violations per inspection
80.0%
of violations were serious
#23,659
of 99,447 penalized employers

Compliance score

D 54/100
  • 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.

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How Desta Drilling Company compares on OSHA penalties

Total current penalty vs the Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas per-employer average

in penalties

What this shows Desta Drilling Company runs well above peers (3.4x 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

$15,247 Bottom 24% least affordable more affordable than 24% 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%). This entry sits in this band. $20,000–$25,000: 4,175 U.S. employers with a penalty (4%). Above this entry. $25,000–$30,000: 2,877 U.S. employers with a penalty (3%). Above this entry. $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 Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas employers with an OSHA inspection on record, placed by inspections and violations cited. The highlighted dot is Desta Drilling Company.

Frequently inspected, many findingsRarely inspected, many findingsFrequently inspected, clean recordBelow median on both1.92.022.02.003.16.39.412.6OSHA inspectionsViolations citedWESTERN GRAVEL, INC., OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 3PATTERSON-UTI DRILLI…, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 1SIERRA AGGREGATE COM…, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 3YAGER MATERIALS, INC., OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 0MI SWACO, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 0MERCER FRASER COMPANY, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 7BANKSTON CREEK LAND …, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 8LANDMARK DRILLING, LLC, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 12WESTERN OILFIELDS SU…, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 12WASHITA VALLEY ENTER…, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 1CADE DRILLING, LLC, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 1ARMSTRONG WATER SOLU…, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 2MAVERICK DRILLING, LLC, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 5HOLLIDAY ROCK CO., I…, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 1SST ENERGY CORPORATION, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 23M, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 0PIONEER DRILLING, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 0MILLS WELL SERVICE, …, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 2BELLAIRE OIL CO., OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 10LANDMARK DRILLING, LLC, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 6Desta Drilling Company, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 5
Desta Drilling Company has 2 OSHA inspections on record and 5 violations cited. The crosshair marks the median among these Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas peers. Across this sector's tracked employers, more inspections is moderately associated with more violations found -- not a coincidence, but not a guarantee either.

Desta Drilling Company in the Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas enforcement ledger

Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas sector: Desta Drilling Company is the #192 heaviest OSHA penalty carrier of 1,117 employers with nonzero fines ($15,247).

How Desta Drilling Company Compares

Desta Drilling Company's 2.50 violations per inspection compares to the Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas sector average of 3.1 violations per employer.

Against the Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas industry average of $4,539 per employer, this employer's current OSHA penalty runs well above peers (3.4x the sector average).

Enforcement detail

OSHA Inspection History

Total Inspections

2

First Inspection

2013-02-11

Last Inspection

2014-01-07

Inspection Span

1 yr

Violations / Inspection

2.5

Avg Penalty / Inspection

$7,624

Industry Avg / Inspection

$2,042

What this shows 2 inspections over 1 year, averaging 2.5 violations per visit. That's $7,624 per inspection vs. the Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas average of $2,042.

Enforcement detail

Violation Breakdown

4

Serious

80.0% of total

0

Willful

0.0% of total

1

Repeat

20.0% 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

$28,036

Current Penalty Amount

$15,247

Penalty Reduction

45.6%

What this shows Penalties were reduced by $12,789 from the initial assessment of $28,036. Reductions may result from informal settlements, formal contests, or negotiated agreements with OSHA.

Industry Safety Context: Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas

How Desta Drilling Company compares to the Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas sector, which has 2,294 employers tracked by PlainWorker.

Metric Desta Drilling Company Industry Avg
Inspections 2 2.2
Violations 5 3.1
Total Penalty $15,247 $4,539
Avg Penalty per Inspection $7,624 $2,042
View all 2,294 employers in Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas →

Nationwide Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas peers with similar penalties or inspection counts

Two OSHA-record peer sets for Desta Drilling Company, both outside TX so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.

Similar current OSHA penalty

Nearest same-sector employers by current assessed penalty ($15,247 here).

Santa Paula Materials, INC. $15,215 CA Eni Petroleum $15,300 AK McConnell and Scully INC $15,140 MI Western Aggregates, LLC $15,025 CA

Similar OSHA inspection count

Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (2 inspections here).

Western Gravel, INC. 2 insp. Montrose, CO Patterson-Uti Drilling Company, LLC 2 insp. Sharon, KS Sierra Aggregate Company INC 2 insp. Lucerne Valley, CA Yager Materials, INC. 2 insp. Owensboro, KY

Nearby & Similar Employers in Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas

Showing 5 of 2293 other employers tracked in this sector.

Santa Paula Materials, INC.
Santa Paula, CA
8 inspections $15,215
Eni Petroleum
Prudhoe Bay, AK
7 inspections $15,300
Groundwater and Environmental Services
Fairmont, WV
0 inspections $0
M & W Hot Oil, Inc. (Odessa)
Odessa, TX
0 inspections $0
McAda Drilling Fluids
Bay City, TX
0 inspections $0

Compare Desta Drilling Company vs Santa Paula Materials, INC. side-by-side →

What to do with this record

Use Desta Drilling Company's enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.

  • A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare Desta Drilling Company against Santa Paula Materials, INC., a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
  • See whether Desta Drilling Company's inspection and penalty record is typical for Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas or an outlier against the sector's own average. View the Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas 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 Desta Drilling Company safe to work at? ▼
Based on OSHA records, Desta Drilling Company's workplace safety record is concerning, with multiple serious compliance issues. The employer has 5 violations across 2 inspections, including 4 serious violations. Compared to Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas industry peers, this is above average for penalties. Review the full inspection history below for details.
How many OSHA violations does Desta Drilling Company have? ▼
Desta Drilling Company has 5 OSHA violations on record, including 4 serious, 0 willful, and 1 repeat violations. The total current penalty amount is $15,247.
How many OSHA inspections has Desta Drilling Company had? ▼
Desta Drilling Company has had 2 OSHA inspections, with the first recorded on 2013-02-11 and the most recent on 2014-01-07. This averages 2.5 violations per inspection.
What is the total penalty amount for Desta Drilling Company? ▼
Desta Drilling Company has been assessed $15,247 in current OSHA penalties, reduced from an initial assessment of $28,036 (a 45.6% reduction).
Does Desta Drilling Company have any serious or willful violations? ▼
Yes. Desta Drilling Company has 4 serious violations, and 1 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 Desta Drilling Company operate in? ▼
Desta Drilling Company operates in the Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas sector (NAICS code 213111). This industry has 2,294 employers tracked by PlainWorker, with 5,098 total OSHA inspections and $10.41M in cumulative penalties.
Where does Desta Drilling Company rank nationally on OSHA penalties? ▼
Among the 99,447 U.S. employers with a nonzero current OSHA penalty in PlainWorker's corpus, Desta Drilling Company ranks #23,659 (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 Desta Drilling Company's safety record compare to industry average? ▼
Desta Drilling Company's total OSHA penalty of $15,247 is above the Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas industry average of $4,539 per employer (3.4x the average). The employer has 2 inspections compared to the industry average of 2.2 per employer. For a direct comparison, Santa Paula Materials, INC. in Santa Paula, CA is a similar mining, quarrying, oil & gas employer with $15,215 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 2 inspections on record. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.