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Employers › MI

Utilities · Detroit, MI

Great Lakes Water Authority

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Great Lakes Water Authority has a mixed safety record: 18 violations across 19 inspections. See the full breakdown below.

Top 25% by penalty83% serious
$25,025
OSHA penalties
18
Violations cited
19
OSHA inspections
#13,364
of 100,495 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. Its total OSHA penalty ranks in 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
87%
of penalized employers rank lower

How Great Lakes Water Authority compares on OSHA penalties

Total current penalty vs the Utilities per-employer average

in penalties

What this shows Great Lakes Water Authority runs well above peers (4.6x 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

$25,025 Bottom 13% least affordable more affordable than 13% of 100,495 U.S. employers with a penalty

$0–$5,000: 44,435 U.S. employers with a penalty (44%). Below this entry. $5,000–$10,000: 20,628 U.S. employers with a penalty (21%). Below this entry. $10,000–$15,000: 11,165 U.S. employers with a penalty (11%). Below this entry. $15,000–$20,000: 6,629 U.S. employers with a penalty (7%). Below this entry. $20,000–$25,000: 4,205 U.S. employers with a penalty (4%). Below this entry. $25,000–$30,000: 2,885 U.S. employers with a penalty (3%). This entry sits in this band. $30,000–$35,000: 2,052 U.S. employers with a penalty (2%). Above this entry. $35,000–$40,000: 1,483 U.S. employers with a penalty (1%). Above this entry. $40,000–$45,000: 1,120 U.S. employers with a penalty (1%). Above this entry. $45,000–$50,000: 792 U.S. employers with a penalty (1%). Above this entry. $50,000–$55,000: 5,101 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

What the Data Says About Great Lakes Water Authority

The federal enforcement record for Great Lakes Water Authority in Detroit, MI includes 19 OSHA inspections and 18 violations, translating to 0.95 violations per inspection. Of those violations, 15 (83.3%) were classified as serious, 0 (0.0%) as willful, and 0 (0.0%) as repeat. Serious violations denote hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm; willful and repeat categories indicate intentional disregard or recurrence of previously cited hazards.

OSHA assessed $44,850 in initial penalties against this employer, later adjusted to a current total of $25,025 - a 44.2% reduction. Average penalty per inspection works out to $1,317. Against the Utilities industry average of $5,434 per employer, this record runs well above peers (4.6x the sector average).

Inspection activity spans from 2016-04-11 to 2026-03-04, a window of roughly 10 years.

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

$2,100

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 $2,100.

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 3,034 employers tracked by PlainWorker.

Metric Great Lakes Water Authority Industry Avg
Inspections 19 2.6
Violations 18 6.1
Total Penalty $25,025 $5,434
Avg Penalty per Inspection $1,317 $2,100
View all 3,034 employers in Utilities →

Nearby & Similar Employers in Utilities

Department of Water and Power of the City of los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
3 inspections $25,050
Borough of Essex Fells Water Department*
Essex Fells, NJ
2 inspections $25,000
Pacificorp
Glenrock, WY
2 inspections $24,947
Township of Pemberton-DPW Sewer Division
Pemberton, NJ
2 inspections $25,200
Yarmouth Oil
Yarmouth, IA
0 inspections $0

Compare Great Lakes Water Authority vs Department of Water and Power of the City of los Angeles side-by-side →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Great Lakes Water Authority safe to work at? ▼
Based on OSHA records, Great Lakes Water Authority's workplace safety record is mixed, with some compliance concerns. The employer has 18 violations across 19 inspections, including 15 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 Great Lakes Water Authority have? ▼
Great Lakes Water Authority has 18 OSHA violations on record, including 15 serious, 0 willful, and 0 repeat violations. The total current penalty amount is $25,025.
How many OSHA inspections has Great Lakes Water Authority had? ▼
Great Lakes Water Authority has had 19 OSHA inspections, with the first recorded on 2016-04-11 and the most recent on 2026-03-04. This averages 0.9 violations per inspection.
What is the total penalty amount for Great Lakes Water Authority? ▼
Great Lakes Water Authority has been assessed $25,025 in current OSHA penalties, reduced from an initial assessment of $44,850 (a 44.2% reduction).
Does Great Lakes Water Authority have any serious or willful violations? ▼
Yes. Great Lakes Water Authority has 15 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 Great Lakes Water Authority operate in? ▼
Great Lakes Water Authority operates in the Utilities sector (NAICS code 221320). This industry has 3,034 employers tracked by PlainWorker, with 7,850 total OSHA inspections and $16.49M in cumulative penalties.
How does Great Lakes Water Authority's safety record compare to industry average? ▼
Great Lakes Water Authority's total OSHA penalty of $25,025 is above the Utilities industry average of $5,434 per employer (4.6x the average). The employer has 19 inspections compared to the industry average of 2.6 per employer. For a direct comparison, Department of Water and Power of the City of los Angeles in Los Angeles, CA is a similar utilities employer with $25,050 in current penalties.

Explore PlainWorker

Utilities Industry

All 3,034 employers in this sector
Employers in MI

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Safety Rankings

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What to check next

Great Lakes Water Authority's record is one establishment in a larger pattern. Use it as a research checklist, not a verdict on the employer overall.

These figures are the federal enforcement record on file and reflect past inspections, not a statement about current workplace conditions. See the disclaimer for how to read them.

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.

Verify with OSHA establishment search →

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 19 inspections on record. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.