Retail Trade · Cincinnati, OH
Kroger
According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Kroger has a relatively clean safety record: 1 violations across 1 inspections. See the full breakdown below.
- $7,000
- OSHA penalties
- 1
- Violations cited
- 1
- OSHA inspections
- $7.87M
- Back wages owed
Kroger in Cincinnati, OH has been the subject of 1 OSHA workplace inspections and 1 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $7,000. Separately, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found $7.87M in back wages owed to 19,362 affected 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 Kroger once. These inspections resulted in 1 violations, averaging 1.0 per inspection. Its total OSHA penalty ranks in the upper half of penalized employers nationally. Of these, 1 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 moderately above peers (1.2x the sector average) on inspection frequency. The Department of Labor also found wage violations, with $7.87M in back wages owed to 19,362 affected workers. For comparison, Helix Electric in Phoenix, AZ is another retail trade employer with 0 OSHA inspections on record and $0 in current penalties.
- 1.0
- violations per inspection
- 100.0%
- of violations were serious
- 54%
- of penalized employers rank lower
- $7.87M
- in back wages recovered
How Kroger compares on OSHA penalties
Total current penalty vs the Retail Trade per-employer average
- Kroger
Kroger
$7,000 in penalties
- Retail Trade avg
Retail Trade industry average (per employer)
$2,879 in penalties
What this shows Kroger runs well above peers (2.4x 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
$7,000 Bottom 46% least affordable more affordable than 46% of 100,495 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
What the Data Says About Kroger
The federal enforcement record for Kroger in Cincinnati, OH includes 1 OSHA inspection and 1 violation, translating to 1.00 violations per inspection. Of those violations, 1 (100.0%) 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 $7,000 in initial penalties against this employer, later adjusted to a current total of $7,000 - no reduction from the original assessment. Average penalty per inspection works out to $7,000. Against the Retail Trade industry average of $2,879 per employer, this record runs well above peers (2.4x the sector average). The Wage and Hour Division added 1 case producing $7.87M in back wages owed to 19,362 affected workers.
Inspection activity spans from 2016-06-09 to 2016-06-09, a window of roughly 1 year.
Enforcement detail
OSHA Inspection History
Total Inspections
1
First Inspection
2016-06-09
Last Inspection
2016-06-09
Inspection Span
1 yr
Violations / Inspection
1.0
Avg Penalty / Inspection
$7,000
Industry Avg / Inspection
$3,566
What this shows 1 inspection over 1 year, averaging 1.0 violations per visit. That's $7,000 per inspection vs. the Retail Trade average of $3,566.
Enforcement detail
Violation Breakdown
1
Serious
100.0% of total
0
Willful
0.0% of total
0
Repeat
0.0% of total
0
Other-Than-Serious
0.0% 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
$7,000
Current Penalty Amount
$7,000
Penalty Reduction
None
Combined Impact (OSHA + WHD)
$7.88M
What this shows No reduction on record. The current penalty matches the original OSHA assessment.
Wage & Hour Findings
The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found that Kroger owed $7.87M in back wages to 19,362 employees across 1 case and 27,992 violations. WHD enforces federal labor laws including the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), covering minimum wage, overtime pay, and child labor standards.
Industry Safety Context: Retail Trade
How Kroger compares to the Retail Trade sector, which has 12,990 employers tracked by PlainWorker.
| Metric | Kroger | Industry Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Inspections | 1 | 0.8 |
| Violations | 1 | 1.7 |
| Total Penalty | $7,000 | $2,879 |
| Avg Penalty per Inspection | $7,000 | $3,566 |
Nearby & Similar Employers in Retail Trade
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to check next
Kroger's record is one establishment in a larger pattern. Use it as a research checklist, not a verdict on the employer overall.
- See how Kroger compares to the 12,990 other employers in Retail Trade. Retail Trade record
- Put this employer head-to-head with another on inspections, penalties, and back wages. Compare employers
- Review the full OSHA & wage-enforcement picture for OH. OH state record
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.