Retail Trade · Des Moines, IA
HY-Vee
According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), HY-Vee ranks #37,097 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a concerning safety record: 9 violations across 2 inspections.
- $9,322
- OSHA penalties
- 9
- Violations cited
- 2
- OSHA inspections
- #37,097
- of 99,447 penalized employers
HY-Vee in Des Moines, IA has been the subject of 2 OSHA workplace inspections and 9 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $9,322. Separately, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found $0 in back wages owed to an undisclosed number of workers. All enforcement data below is sourced from the DOL public enforcement databases at data.dol.gov.
The record in one line
OSHA has inspected HY-Vee 2 times across a longer 5-year span, an infrequent cadence. These inspections resulted in 9 violations, averaging 4.5 per inspection, above what's typical for a single visit. According to OSHA enforcement records, its total current penalty ranks #37,097 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers (the upper half of penalized employers nationally). Of these, 6 were classified as serious - indicating hazards that could cause death or serious harm. Against the Retail Trade industry average of 1 inspections per employer, this runs well above peers (2.5x the sector average) on inspection frequency. The Department of Labor also found wage violations, with $0 in back wages owed to an undisclosed number of workers. For comparison, Macy's in Victor, NY is another retail trade employer with 2 OSHA inspections on record and $9,323 in current penalties.
- 4.5
- violations per inspection
- 66.7%
- of violations were serious
- #37,097
- of 99,447 penalized employers
- $0
- in back wages recovered
Compliance score
- F OSHA safety compliance: 9 violations across 2 OSHA inspections (4.5 per inspection), vs. national p10 0.0 (best) / p90 5.5 (worst) among 145,626 inspected employers.
- A Wage & hour compliance: $0 in back wages owed across 1 WHD case ($0 per case), vs. national p10 $2K (best) / p90 $58K (worst) among 91,622 employers with a WHD case on file.
How HY-Vee compares on OSHA penalties
Total current penalty vs the Retail Trade per-employer average
- HY-Vee
HY-Vee
$9,322 in penalties
- Retail Trade avg $2,898
Retail Trade industry average (per employer)
$2,898 in penalties
What this shows HY-Vee runs well above peers (3.2x 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
$9,322 Bottom 37% least affordable more affordable than 37% 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 Retail Trade employers with an OSHA inspection on record, placed by inspections and violations cited. The highlighted dot is HY-Vee.
HY-Vee in the Retail Trade enforcement ledger
Among 3,175 Retail Trade employers with OSHA penalties on file, HY-Vee ranks #890 at $9,322 current penalty.
Combined federal exposure here: $9,322 OSHA penalties plus $0 WHD back wages (0.0% of the combined total is wage recovery).
How HY-Vee Compares
HY-Vee's 4.50 violations per inspection compares to the Retail Trade sector average of 1.7 violations per employer.
Against the Retail Trade industry average of $2,898 per employer, this employer's current OSHA penalty runs well above peers (3.2x the sector average).
Enforcement detail
OSHA Inspection History
Total Inspections
2
First Inspection
2014-10-20
Last Inspection
2019-11-04
Inspection Span
5 yrs
Violations / Inspection
4.5
Avg Penalty / Inspection
$4,661
Industry Avg / Inspection
$3,571
What this shows 2 inspections over 5 years, averaging 4.5 violations per visit. That's $4,661 per inspection vs. the Retail Trade average of $3,571.
Enforcement detail
Violation Breakdown
6
Serious
66.7% of total
0
Willful
0.0% of total
0
Repeat
0.0% of total
3
Other-Than-Serious
33.3% 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
$18,642
Current Penalty Amount
$9,322
Penalty Reduction
50.0%
Combined Impact (OSHA + WHD)
$9,322
What this shows Penalties were reduced by $9,320 from the initial assessment of $18,642. Reductions may result from informal settlements, formal contests, or negotiated agreements with OSHA.
Wage & Hour Findings
Industry Safety Context: Retail Trade
How HY-Vee compares to the Retail Trade sector, which has 12,945 employers tracked by PlainWorker.
| Metric | HY-Vee | Industry Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Inspections | 2 | 0.8 |
| Violations | 9 | 1.7 |
| Total Penalty | $9,322 | $2,898 |
| Avg Penalty per Inspection | $4,661 | $3,571 |
Nationwide Retail Trade peers with similar penalties or inspection counts
Two OSHA-record peer sets for HY-Vee, both outside IA so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.
Similar current OSHA penalty
Nearest same-sector employers by current assessed penalty ($9,322 here).
Similar OSHA inspection count
Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (2 inspections here).
Nearby & Similar Employers in Retail Trade
Showing 5 of 12944 other employers tracked in this sector.
What to do with this record
Use HY-Vee's enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.
- A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare HY-Vee against Macy's, a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
- See whether HY-Vee's inspection and penalty record is typical for Retail Trade or an outlier against the sector's own average. View the Retail Trade sector
- HY-Vee also carries $0 in Wage and Hour Division back-wages, a separate enforcement track from OSHA safety violations. How wage-theft enforcement works
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.