Manufacturing · Northbrook, IL

Highland Baking Company, INC.

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Highland Baking Company, INC. ranks #4,395 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a mixed safety record: 9 violations across 7 inspections.

Top 5% by penalty78% serious

Compiled by Plainworker · September 6, 2026

$55,609
OSHA penalties: 9
Violations cited: 7
OSHA inspections: #4,395
of 99,447 penalized employers

Highland Baking Company, INC. in Northbrook, IL has been the subject of 7 OSHA workplace inspections and 9 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $55,609. All enforcement data below is sourced from the DOL public enforcement databases at data.dol.gov.

The record in one line

OSHA has inspected Highland Baking Company, INC. 7 times over 8 years, roughly once every couple of years. These inspections resulted in 9 violations, averaging 1.3 per inspection. According to OSHA enforcement records, its total current penalty ranks #4,395 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers (the top 5% of penalized employers nationally). Of these, 7 were classified as serious - indicating hazards that could cause death or serious harm. Against the Manufacturing industry average of 3 inspections per employer, this runs well above peers (2.7x the sector average) on inspection frequency. For comparison, Whirlpool Corporation in Marion, OH is another manufacturing employer with 4 OSHA inspections on record and $55,586 in current penalties.

1.3
violations per inspection: 77.8%
of violations were serious: #4,395
of 99,447 penalized employers

Compliance score

C 71/100

C OSHA safety compliance: 9 violations across 7 OSHA inspections (1.3 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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Highland Baking Compan…

$55,609
Manufacturing avg

$15,763

What this shows Highland Baking Company, INC. runs well above peers (3.5x 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

$55,609 Bottom 4% least affordable more affordable than 4% 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 Manufacturing employers with an OSHA inspection on record, placed by inspections and violations cited. The highlighted dot is Highland Baking Company, INC..

Highland Baking Company, INC. has 7 OSHA inspections on record and 9 violations cited. The crosshair marks the median among these Manufacturing peers. Across this sector's tracked employers, more inspections is moderately associated with more violations found -- not a coincidence, but not a guarantee either.

Highland Baking Company, INC. in the Manufacturing enforcement ledger

Among 35,243 Manufacturing employers with OSHA penalties on file, Highland Baking Company, INC. ranks #2,237 at $55,609 current penalty.

How Highland Baking Company, INC. Compares

Highland Baking Company, INC.'s 1.29 violations per inspection compares to the Manufacturing sector average of 8.0 violations per employer.

Against the Manufacturing industry average of $15,763 per employer, this employer's current OSHA penalty runs well above peers (3.5x the sector average).

Total Inspections

First Inspection

2017-07-17

Last Inspection

2025-10-09

Inspection Span

8 yrs

Violations / Inspection

1.3

Avg Penalty / Inspection

$7,944

Industry Avg / Inspection

$6,093

What this shows 7 inspections over 8 years, averaging 1.3 violations per visit. That's $7,944 per inspection vs. the Manufacturing average of $6,093.

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

$78,631

Current Penalty Amount

$55,609

Penalty Reduction

29.3%

What this shows Penalties were reduced by $23,022 from the initial assessment of $78,631. Reductions may result from informal settlements, formal contests, or negotiated agreements with OSHA.

Industry Safety Context: Manufacturing

How Highland Baking Company, INC. compares to the Manufacturing sector, which has 44,645 employers tracked by PlainWorker.

Metric	Highland Baking Company, INC.	Industry Avg
Inspections	7	2.6
Violations	9	8.0
Total Penalty	$55,609	$15,763
Avg Penalty per Inspection	$7,944	$6,093

View all 44,645 employers in Manufacturing →

Nationwide Manufacturing peers with similar penalties or inspection counts

Two OSHA-record peer sets for Highland Baking Company, INC., both outside IL so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.

Similar current OSHA penalty

Nearest same-sector employers by current assessed penalty ($55,609 here).

Beyel Brothers, INC. $55,608 FL Qualico Steel Company, INC. $55,595 AL Whirlpool Corporation $55,586 OH Musashi Auto Parts Michigan INC $55,580 MI

Similar OSHA inspection count

Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (7 inspections here).

Florim USA, INC. 7 insp. Clarksville, TN The Smithfield Packing Company, Incorporated 7 insp. Tar Heel, NC Worthington Industries 7 insp. Chilton, WI Arcelormittal Georgetown INC 7 insp. Georgetown, SC

Nearby & Similar Employers in Manufacturing

Showing 5 of 44644 other employers tracked in this sector.

Beyel Brothers, INC.

Merritt Island, FL

4 inspections $55,608

Action Tire Retreaders Inc.

Deer Park, NY

0 inspections $0

Qualico Steel Company, INC.

Webb, AL

4 inspections $55,595

Whirlpool Corporation

Marion, OH

4 inspections $55,586

Musashi Auto Parts Michigan INC

Battle Creek, MI

15 inspections $55,580

Compare Highland Baking Company, INC. vs Beyel Brothers, INC. side-by-side →

What to do with this record

Use Highland Baking Company, INC.'s enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.

A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare Highland Baking Company, INC. against Beyel Brothers, INC., a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
See whether Highland Baking Company, INC.'s inspection and penalty record is typical for Manufacturing or an outlier against the sector's own average. View the Manufacturing 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 Highland Baking Company, INC. safe to work at? ▼

Based on OSHA records, Highland Baking Company, INC.'s workplace safety record is mixed, with some compliance concerns. The employer has 9 violations across 7 inspections, including 7 serious violations. Compared to Manufacturing industry peers, this is above average for penalties. Review the full inspection history below for details.

How many OSHA violations does Highland Baking Company, INC. have? ▼

Highland Baking Company, INC. has 9 OSHA violations on record, including 7 serious, 0 willful, and 0 repeat violations. The total current penalty amount is $55,609.

How many OSHA inspections has Highland Baking Company, INC. had? ▼

Highland Baking Company, INC. has had 7 OSHA inspections, with the first recorded on 2017-07-17 and the most recent on 2025-10-09. This averages 1.3 violations per inspection.

What is the total penalty amount for Highland Baking Company, INC.? ▼

Highland Baking Company, INC. has been assessed $55,609 in current OSHA penalties, reduced from an initial assessment of $78,631 (a 29.3% reduction).

Does Highland Baking Company, INC. have any serious or willful violations? ▼

Yes. Highland Baking Company, INC. 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 Highland Baking Company, INC. operate in? ▼

Highland Baking Company, INC. operates in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS code 311812). This industry has 44,645 employers tracked by PlainWorker, with 115,492 total OSHA inspections and $703.72M in cumulative penalties.

Where does Highland Baking Company, INC. rank nationally on OSHA penalties? ▼

Among the 99,447 U.S. employers with a nonzero current OSHA penalty in PlainWorker's corpus, Highland Baking Company, INC. ranks #4,395 (the top 5% 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 Highland Baking Company, INC.'s safety record compare to industry average? ▼

Highland Baking Company, INC.'s total OSHA penalty of $55,609 is above the Manufacturing industry average of $15,763 per employer (3.5x the average). The employer has 7 inspections compared to the industry average of 2.6 per employer. For a direct comparison, Whirlpool Corporation in Marion, OH is a similar manufacturing employer with $55,586 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.