Public Administration · Detroit, MI

Detroit Fire Department

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Detroit Fire Department ranks #29,638 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a mixed safety record: 9 violations across 15 inspections.

Upper half by penalty78% serious

Compiled by Plainworker · September 6, 2026

$12,125
OSHA penalties: 9
Violations cited: 15
OSHA inspections: #29,638
of 99,447 penalized employers

Detroit Fire Department in Detroit, MI has been the subject of 15 OSHA workplace inspections and 9 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $12,125. All enforcement data below is sourced from the DOL public enforcement databases at data.dol.gov.

The record in one line

OSHA has inspected Detroit Fire Department 15 times over 11 years, roughly annually. These inspections resulted in 9 violations, averaging 0.6 per inspection, on the lighter side. According to OSHA enforcement records, its total current penalty ranks #29,638 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers (the upper half of penalized employers nationally). Of these, 7 were classified as serious - indicating hazards that could cause death or serious harm. Against the Public Administration industry average of 3 inspections per employer, this runs well above peers (4.8x the sector average) on inspection frequency. For comparison, City of Rutland in Rutland, VT is another public administration employer with 5 OSHA inspections on record and $12,175 in current penalties.

0.6
violations per inspection: 77.8%
of violations were serious: #29,638
of 99,447 penalized employers

Compliance score

B 81/100

B OSHA safety compliance: 9 violations across 15 OSHA inspections (0.6 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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Detroit Fire Department

$12,125
Public Administration avg

$2,606

What this shows Detroit Fire Department runs well above peers (4.7x 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

$12,125 Bottom 30% least affordable more affordable than 30% 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 Detroit Fire Department.

Detroit Fire Department has 15 OSHA inspections on record and 9 violations cited. The crosshair marks the median among these Public Administration peers. Across this sector's tracked employers, more inspections is moderately associated with more violations found -- not a coincidence, but not a guarantee either.

Detroit Fire Department in the Public Administration enforcement ledger

Among 1,870 Public Administration employers with OSHA penalties on file, Detroit Fire Department ranks #517 at $12,125 current penalty.

How Detroit Fire Department Compares

Detroit Fire Department's 0.60 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 well above peers (4.7x the sector average).

Total Inspections

First Inspection

2015-05-04

Last Inspection

2026-06-16

Inspection Span

11 yrs

Violations / Inspection

0.6

Avg Penalty / Inspection

$808

Industry Avg / Inspection

$827

What this shows 15 inspections over 11 years, averaging 0.6 violations per visit. That's $808 per inspection vs. the Public Administration average of $827.

Serious

77.8% of total

Willful

0.0% of total

Repeat

0.0% of total

Other-Than-Serious

22.2% 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

$24,250

Current Penalty Amount

$12,125

Penalty Reduction

50.0%

What this shows Penalties were reduced by $12,125 from the initial assessment of $24,250. Reductions may result from informal settlements, formal contests, or negotiated agreements with OSHA.

Industry Safety Context: Public Administration

How Detroit Fire Department compares to the Public Administration sector, which has 9,693 employers tracked by PlainWorker.

Metric	Detroit Fire Department	Industry Avg
Inspections	15	3.2
Violations	9	6.4
Total Penalty	$12,125	$2,606
Avg Penalty per Inspection	$808	$827

View all 9,693 employers in Public Administration →

Nationwide Public Administration peers with similar penalties or inspection counts

Two OSHA-record peer sets for Detroit Fire Department, both outside MI so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.

Similar current OSHA penalty

Nearest same-sector employers by current assessed penalty ($12,125 here).

Nmead $12,120 PR Village of Swanton $12,143 VT City of Rutland $12,175 VT City & County of San Francisco, Airport Commission $12,185 CA

Similar OSHA inspection count

Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (15 inspections here).

Town of Avon 15 insp. Avon, CT U.S. Dept of Justice-Bureau of Prisons 15 insp. Butner, NC DCR 15 insp. Bayamon, PR CA Corrections - Avenal 15 insp. Avenal, CA

Nearby & Similar Employers in Public Administration

Showing 5 of 9692 other employers tracked in this sector.

Nmead

Mayaguez, PR

3 inspections $12,120

Village of Swanton

Swanton, VT

3 inspections $12,143

5 inspections $12,175

Compare Detroit Fire Department vs Nmead side-by-side →

What to do with this record

Use Detroit Fire Department's enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.

A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare Detroit Fire Department against Nmead, a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
See whether Detroit Fire Department'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

Is Detroit Fire Department safe to work at? ▼

Based on OSHA records, Detroit Fire Department's workplace safety record is mixed, with some compliance concerns. The employer has 9 violations across 15 inspections, including 7 serious violations. Compared to Public Administration industry peers, this is above average for penalties. Review the full inspection history below for details.

How many OSHA violations does Detroit Fire Department have? ▼

Detroit Fire Department has 9 OSHA violations on record, including 7 serious, 0 willful, and 0 repeat violations. The total current penalty amount is $12,125.

How many OSHA inspections has Detroit Fire Department had? ▼

Detroit Fire Department has had 15 OSHA inspections, with the first recorded on 2015-05-04 and the most recent on 2026-06-16. This averages 0.6 violations per inspection.

What is the total penalty amount for Detroit Fire Department? ▼

Detroit Fire Department has been assessed $12,125 in current OSHA penalties, reduced from an initial assessment of $24,250 (a 50.0% reduction).

Does Detroit Fire Department have any serious or willful violations? ▼

Yes. Detroit Fire Department has 7 serious 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 Detroit Fire Department operate in? ▼

Detroit Fire Department operates in the Public Administration sector (NAICS code 922160). This industry has 9,693 employers tracked by PlainWorker, with 30,559 total OSHA inspections and $25.26M in cumulative penalties.

Where does Detroit Fire Department rank nationally on OSHA penalties? ▼

Among the 99,447 U.S. employers with a nonzero current OSHA penalty in PlainWorker's corpus, Detroit Fire Department ranks #29,638 (the upper half 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 Detroit Fire Department's safety record compare to industry average? ▼

Detroit Fire Department's total OSHA penalty of $12,125 is above the Public Administration industry average of $2,606 per employer (4.7x the average). The employer has 15 inspections compared to the industry average of 3.2 per employer. For a direct comparison, City of Rutland in Rutland, VT is a similar public administration employer with $12,175 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.