Utilities · Detroit, MI
Great Lakes Water Authority
According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Great Lakes Water Authority ranks #13,369 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a mixed safety record: 18 violations across 19 inspections.
- $25,025
- OSHA penalties
- 18
- Violations cited
- 19
- OSHA inspections
- #13,369
- of 99,447 penalized employers
Great Lakes Water Authority in Detroit, MI has been the subject of 19 OSHA workplace inspections and 18 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $25,025. All enforcement data below is sourced from the DOL public enforcement databases at data.dol.gov.
The record in one line
OSHA has inspected Great Lakes Water Authority 19 times over 10 years, roughly annually. These inspections resulted in 18 violations, averaging 0.9 per inspection, on the lighter side. According to OSHA enforcement records, its total current penalty ranks #13,369 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers (the top quarter of penalized employers nationally). Of these, 15 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 far above peers (7.3x the sector average) on inspection frequency. For comparison, Department of Water and Power of the City of los Angeles in Los Angeles, CA is another utilities employer with 3 OSHA inspections on record and $25,050 in current penalties.
- 0.9
- violations per inspection
- 83.3%
- of violations were serious
- #13,369
- of 99,447 penalized employers
Compliance score
- C OSHA safety compliance: 18 violations across 19 OSHA inspections (0.9 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 Great Lakes Water Authority compares on OSHA penalties
Total current penalty vs the Utilities per-employer average
- Great Lakes Water Auth…
Great Lakes Water Authority
$25,025 in penalties
- Utilities avg $5,509
Utilities industry average (per employer)
$5,509 in penalties
What this shows Great Lakes Water Authority runs well above peers (4.5x 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
$25,025 Bottom 13% least affordable more affordable than 13% 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 Great Lakes Water Authority.
Great Lakes Water Authority in the Utilities enforcement ledger
Among 866 Utilities employers with OSHA penalties on file, Great Lakes Water Authority ranks #194 at $25,025 current penalty.
How Great Lakes Water Authority Compares
Great Lakes Water Authority's 0.95 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 (4.5x the sector average).
Enforcement detail
OSHA Inspection History
Total Inspections
19
First Inspection
2016-04-11
Last Inspection
2026-03-04
Inspection Span
10 yrs
Violations / Inspection
0.9
Avg Penalty / Inspection
$1,317
Industry Avg / Inspection
$2,104
What this shows 19 inspections over 10 years, averaging 0.9 violations per visit. That's $1,317 per inspection vs. the Utilities average of $2,104.
Enforcement detail
Violation Breakdown
15
Serious
83.3% of total
0
Willful
0.0% of total
0
Repeat
0.0% of total
3
Other-Than-Serious
16.7% 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
$44,850
Current Penalty Amount
$25,025
Penalty Reduction
44.2%
What this shows Penalties were reduced by $19,825 from the initial assessment of $44,850. Reductions may result from informal settlements, formal contests, or negotiated agreements with OSHA.
Industry Safety Context: Utilities
How Great Lakes Water Authority compares to the Utilities sector, which has 2,996 employers tracked by PlainWorker.
| Metric | Great Lakes Water Authority | Industry Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Inspections | 19 | 2.6 |
| Violations | 18 | 6.1 |
| Total Penalty | $25,025 | $5,509 |
| Avg Penalty per Inspection | $1,317 | $2,104 |
Nationwide Utilities peers with similar penalties or inspection counts
Two OSHA-record peer sets for Great Lakes Water Authority, both outside MI so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.
Similar current OSHA penalty
Nearest same-sector employers by current assessed penalty ($25,025 here).
Similar OSHA inspection count
Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (19 inspections here).
Nearby & Similar Employers in Utilities
Showing 5 of 2995 other employers tracked in this sector.
What to do with this record
Use Great Lakes Water Authority's enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.
- A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare Great Lakes Water Authority against Department of Water and Power of the City of los Angeles, a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
- See whether Great Lakes Water Authority'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
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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.