Manufacturing · Ankeny, IA
John Deere Des Moines Works
According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), John Deere Des Moines Works ranks #5,683 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a mixed safety record: 9 violations across 9 inspections.
- $46,529
- OSHA penalties
- 9
- Violations cited
- 9
- OSHA inspections
- #5,683
- of 99,447 penalized employers
John Deere Des Moines Works in Ankeny, IA has been the subject of 9 OSHA workplace inspections and 9 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $46,529. Separately, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found $8,333 in back wages owed to 1 affected worker. All enforcement data below is sourced from the DOL public enforcement databases at data.dol.gov.
The record in one line
OSHA has inspected John Deere Des Moines Works 9 times over 11 years, roughly once every couple of years. These inspections resulted in 9 violations, averaging 1.0 per inspection. According to OSHA enforcement records, its total current penalty ranks #5,683 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers (the top 10% of penalized employers nationally). Of these, 5 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 (3.5x the sector average) on inspection frequency. The Department of Labor also found wage violations, with $8,333 in back wages owed to 1 affected worker. For comparison, Lignetics of Maine, LLC in Strong, ME is another manufacturing employer with 4 OSHA inspections on record and $54,834 in current penalties.
- 1.0
- violations per inspection
- 55.6%
- of violations were serious
- #5,683
- of 99,447 penalized employers
- $8,333
- in back wages recovered
Compliance score
- C OSHA safety compliance: 9 violations across 9 OSHA inspections (1.0 per inspection), vs. national p10 0.0 (best) / p90 5.5 (worst) among 145,626 inspected employers.
- B Wage & hour compliance: $8K in back wages owed across 1 WHD case ($8K per case), vs. national p10 $2K (best) / p90 $58K (worst) among 91,622 employers with a WHD case on file.
How John Deere Des Moines Works compares on OSHA penalties
Total current penalty vs the Manufacturing per-employer average
- John Deere Des Moines …
John Deere Des Moines Works
$46,529 in penalties
- Manufacturing avg $15,763
Manufacturing industry average (per employer)
$15,763 in penalties
What this shows John Deere Des Moines Works runs well above peers (3.0x 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
$46,529 Bottom 6% least affordable more affordable than 6% 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 John Deere Des Moines Works.
John Deere Des Moines Works in the Manufacturing enforcement ledger
Manufacturing sector: John Deere Des Moines Works is the #2,879 heaviest OSHA penalty carrier of 35,243 employers with nonzero fines ($46,529). On wage-and-hour enforcement alone, John Deere Des Moines Works ranks #2,508 among 4,429 Manufacturing employers with WHD recoveries ($8,333).
Combined federal exposure here: $46,529 OSHA penalties plus $8,333 WHD back wages (15.2% of the combined total is wage recovery).
How John Deere Des Moines Works Compares
John Deere Des Moines Works's 1.00 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 (3.0x the sector average).
Enforcement detail
OSHA Inspection History
Total Inspections
9
First Inspection
2011-08-23
Last Inspection
2022-05-17
Inspection Span
11 yrs
Violations / Inspection
1.0
Avg Penalty / Inspection
$5,170
Industry Avg / Inspection
$6,093
What this shows 9 inspections over 11 years, averaging 1.0 violations per visit. That's $5,170 per inspection vs. the Manufacturing average of $6,093.
Enforcement detail
Violation Breakdown
5
Serious
55.6% of total
0
Willful
0.0% of total
0
Repeat
0.0% of total
4
Other-Than-Serious
44.4% 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
$52,529
Current Penalty Amount
$46,529
Penalty Reduction
11.4%
Combined Impact (OSHA + WHD)
$54,862
What this shows Penalties were reduced by $6,000 from the initial assessment of $52,529. Reductions may result from informal settlements, formal contests, or negotiated agreements with OSHA.
Wage & Hour Findings
The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found that John Deere Des Moines Works owed $8,333 in back wages to 1 employee across 1 case and 1 violation. WHD enforces federal labor laws including the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), covering minimum wage, overtime pay, and child labor standards.
Industry Safety Context: Manufacturing
How John Deere Des Moines Works compares to the Manufacturing sector, which has 44,645 employers tracked by PlainWorker.
| Metric | John Deere Des Moines Works | Industry Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Inspections | 9 | 2.6 |
| Violations | 9 | 8.0 |
| Total Penalty | $46,529 | $15,763 |
| Avg Penalty per Inspection | $5,170 | $6,093 |
Nationwide Manufacturing peers with similar penalties or inspection counts
Two OSHA-record peer sets for John Deere Des Moines Works, both outside IA so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.
Similar current OSHA penalty
Nearest same-sector employers by current assessed penalty ($46,529 here).
Similar OSHA inspection count
Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (9 inspections here).
Nearby & Similar Employers in Manufacturing
Showing 5 of 44644 other employers tracked in this sector.
Compare John Deere Des Moines Works vs American Sugar Refining, INC. side-by-side →
What to do with this record
Use John Deere Des Moines Works's enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.
- A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare John Deere Des Moines Works against American Sugar Refining, INC., a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
- See whether John Deere Des Moines Works's inspection and penalty record is typical for Manufacturing or an outlier against the sector's own average. View the Manufacturing sector
- John Deere Des Moines Works also carries $8,333 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.