JOHN BALL ZOO
1300 FULTON STREET WEST, GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49504 · Arts, Entertainment & Recreation
JOHN BALL ZOO in GRAND RAPIDS, MI has been the subject of 2 OSHA workplace inspections and 15 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $11,850. Industry sector: Arts, Entertainment & Recreation. All enforcement data below is sourced from the DOL public enforcement databases at data.dol.gov.
Safety Assessment
JOHN BALL ZOO has been inspected 2 times by OSHA over 1 year. These inspections resulted in 15 violations, averaging 7.5 violations per inspection. Of these, 13 were classified as serious — indicating hazards that could cause death or serious harm. Compared to the Arts, Entertainment & Recreation industry average of 2 inspections per employer, JOHN BALL ZOO has been inspected more frequently.
What the Data Says About JOHN BALL ZOO
The federal enforcement record for JOHN BALL ZOO in GRAND RAPIDS, MI includes 2 OSHA inspections and 15 violations, translating to 7.50 violations per inspection. Of those violations, 13 (86.7%) 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 $23,700 in initial penalties against this employer, later adjusted to a current total of $11,850 — a 50.0% reduction. Average penalty per inspection works out to $5,925. Against the Arts, Entertainment & Recreation industry average of $4,556 per employer, this record runs above peers.
Inspection activity spans from 2023-06-14 to 2023-08-28, a window of roughly 1 year. This record draws directly from the U.S. Department of Labor's public enforcement data at data.dol.gov. Penalty amounts reflect final adjudicated figures after any settlement, informal conference, or formal contest. Workers, journalists, and researchers can use these figures to compare this employer's compliance posture against industry peers and to identify workplaces with elevated safety risks or repeat non-compliance.
OSHA Inspection History
Violation Breakdown
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.
Penalty Analysis
Penalties were reduced by $11,850 from the initial assessment of $23,700. Reductions may result from informal settlements, formal contests, or negotiated agreements with OSHA.
Industry Safety Context: Arts, Entertainment & Recreation
How JOHN BALL ZOO compares to the Arts, Entertainment & Recreation sector, which has 2,208 employers tracked by PlainWorker.
| Metric | JOHN BALL ZOO | Industry Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Inspections | 2 | 1.7 |
| Violations | 15 | 4.7 |
| Total Penalty | $11,850 | $4,556 |
| Avg Penalty per Inspection | $5,925 | $2,649 |
Related Data from Other Sources
See BLS salary data for Arts, Entertainment & Recreation occupations on WageDex — including median wages, employment levels, and wage trends.
WageDex — wagedex.com →Look up JOHN BALL ZOO's composite safety grade on PlainSafetyScore — aggregated from OSHA, injury rates, and industry benchmarks.
PlainSafetyScore — plainsafetyscore.com →Explore BLS labor statistics for MI on PlainLabor — employment levels, unemployment rates, and workforce trends.
PlainLabor — plainlabor.com →Look up JOHN BALL ZOO's workforce composition on PlainEmploy — EEO-1 data including job categories and demographic breakdowns from EEOC filings.
PlainEmploy — plainemploy.com →Workplace Safety Guides
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Related Data Sources
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.