Utilities · Detroit, MI

Detroit Water & Sewerage Department

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Detroit Water & Sewerage Department ranks #29,477 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a mixed safety record: 9 violations across 5 inspections.

Upper half by penalty78% serious

Compiled by Plainworker · September 6, 2026

$12,200
OSHA penalties: 9
Violations cited: 5
OSHA inspections: #29,477
of 99,447 penalized employers

Detroit Water & Sewerage Department in Detroit, MI has been the subject of 5 OSHA workplace inspections and 9 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $12,200. 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 Water & Sewerage Department 5 times over 7 years, roughly once every couple of years. These inspections resulted in 9 violations, averaging 1.8 per inspection. According to OSHA enforcement records, its total current penalty ranks #29,477 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 Utilities industry average of 3 inspections per employer, this runs moderately above peers (1.9x the sector average) on inspection frequency. For comparison, City of Falmouth in Falmouth, KY is another utilities employer with 2 OSHA inspections on record and $12,250 in current penalties.

1.8
violations per inspection: 77.8%
of violations were serious: #29,477
of 99,447 penalized employers

Compliance score

D 64/100

D OSHA safety compliance: 9 violations across 5 OSHA inspections (1.8 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.

Open my watchlist

Detroit Water & Sewera…

$12,200
Utilities avg

$5,509

What this shows Detroit Water & Sewerage Department runs well above peers (2.2x 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

$12,200 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 Utilities employers with an OSHA inspection on record, placed by inspections and violations cited. The highlighted dot is Detroit Water & Sewerage Department.

Detroit Water & Sewerage Department has 5 OSHA inspections on record and 9 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.

Detroit Water & Sewerage Department in the Utilities enforcement ledger

Utilities sector: Detroit Water & Sewerage Department is the #337 heaviest OSHA penalty carrier of 866 employers with nonzero fines ($12,200).

How Detroit Water & Sewerage Department Compares

Detroit Water & Sewerage Department's 1.80 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 (2.2x the sector average).

Total Inspections

First Inspection

2014-10-16

Last Inspection

2021-09-28

Inspection Span

7 yrs

Violations / Inspection

1.8

Avg Penalty / Inspection

$2,440

Industry Avg / Inspection

$2,104

What this shows 5 inspections over 7 years, averaging 1.8 violations per visit. That's $2,440 per inspection vs. the Utilities average of $2,104.

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

$16,400

Current Penalty Amount

$12,200

Penalty Reduction

25.6%

What this shows Penalties were reduced by $4,200 from the initial assessment of $16,400. Reductions may result from informal settlements, formal contests, or negotiated agreements with OSHA.

Industry Safety Context: Utilities

How Detroit Water & Sewerage Department compares to the Utilities sector, which has 2,996 employers tracked by PlainWorker.

Metric	Detroit Water & Sewerage Department	Industry Avg
Inspections	5	2.6
Violations	9	6.1
Total Penalty	$12,200	$5,509
Avg Penalty per Inspection	$2,440	$2,104

View all 2,996 employers in Utilities →

Nationwide Utilities peers with similar penalties or inspection counts

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

Similar current OSHA penalty

Nearest same-sector employers by current assessed penalty ($12,200 here).

Fibrominn LLC $12,250 MN City of Falmouth $12,250 KY Des Moines, City of $12,150 IA Gemma Power Systems, LLC $12,288 OH

Similar OSHA inspection count

Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (5 inspections here).

Town of Brookneal 5 insp. Brookneal, VA Douglas County Pud Dist No. 1 5 insp. East Wenatchee, WA West Tennessee Public Utility District - Maintenance 5 insp. Huntingdon, TN Crockett Public Utility District - Administration 5 insp. Alamo, TN

Nearby & Similar Employers in Utilities

Showing 5 of 2995 other employers tracked in this sector.

3 inspections $12,250

City of Falmouth

Falmouth, KY

2 inspections $12,250

Des Moines, City of

Des Moines, IA

2 inspections $12,150

Compare Detroit Water & Sewerage Department vs Safe Tech side-by-side →

What to do with this record

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

A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare Detroit Water & Sewerage Department against Safe Tech, a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
See whether Detroit Water & Sewerage Department'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 Detroit Water & Sewerage Department safe to work at? ▼

Based on OSHA records, Detroit Water & Sewerage Department's workplace safety record is mixed, with some compliance concerns. The employer has 9 violations across 5 inspections, including 7 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 Detroit Water & Sewerage Department have? ▼

Detroit Water & Sewerage Department has 9 OSHA violations on record, including 7 serious, 0 willful, and 0 repeat violations. The total current penalty amount is $12,200.

How many OSHA inspections has Detroit Water & Sewerage Department had? ▼

Detroit Water & Sewerage Department has had 5 OSHA inspections, with the first recorded on 2014-10-16 and the most recent on 2021-09-28. This averages 1.8 violations per inspection.

What is the total penalty amount for Detroit Water & Sewerage Department? ▼

Detroit Water & Sewerage Department has been assessed $12,200 in current OSHA penalties, reduced from an initial assessment of $16,400 (a 25.6% reduction).

Does Detroit Water & Sewerage Department have any serious or willful violations? ▼

Yes. Detroit Water & Sewerage 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 Water & Sewerage Department operate in? ▼

Detroit Water & Sewerage Department 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 Detroit Water & Sewerage Department rank nationally on OSHA penalties? ▼

Among the 99,447 U.S. employers with a nonzero current OSHA penalty in PlainWorker's corpus, Detroit Water & Sewerage Department ranks #29,477 (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 Water & Sewerage Department's safety record compare to industry average? ▼

Detroit Water & Sewerage Department's total OSHA penalty of $12,200 is above the Utilities industry average of $5,509 per employer (2.2x the average). The employer has 5 inspections compared to the industry average of 2.6 per employer. For a direct comparison, City of Falmouth in Falmouth, KY is a similar utilities employer with $12,250 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.