Educational Services · Evanston, IL

Northwestern University

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Northwestern University ranks #1,951 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a concerning safety record: 17 violations across 4 inspections.

Top 5% by penalty82% serious

Compiled by Plainworker · September 6, 2026

$94,604
OSHA penalties: 17
Violations cited: 4
OSHA inspections: #1,951
of 99,447 penalized employers

Northwestern University in Evanston, IL has been the subject of 4 OSHA workplace inspections and 17 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $94,604. All enforcement data below is sourced from the DOL public enforcement databases at data.dol.gov.

The record in one line

OSHA has inspected Northwestern University 4 times over 7 years, roughly once every couple of years. These inspections resulted in 17 violations, averaging 4.3 per inspection, above what's typical for a single visit. According to OSHA enforcement records, its total current penalty ranks #1,951 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers (the top 5% of penalized employers nationally). Of these, 14 were classified as serious - indicating hazards that could cause death or serious harm. Against the Educational Services industry average of 3 inspections per employer, this runs moderately above peers (1.6x the sector average) on inspection frequency. For comparison, Saint Augustine's University in Raleigh, NC is another educational services employer with 3 OSHA inspections on record and $2,700 in current penalties.

4.3
violations per inspection: 82.4%
of violations were serious: #1,951
of 99,447 penalized employers

Compliance score

F 28/100

F OSHA safety compliance: 17 violations across 4 OSHA inspections (4.3 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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Northwestern University

$94,604
Educational Services avg

$3,025

What this shows Northwestern University runs far above peers (31.3x 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

$94,604 Bottom 2% least affordable more affordable than 2% 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 Educational Services employers with an OSHA inspection on record, placed by inspections and violations cited. The highlighted dot is Northwestern University.

Northwestern University has 4 OSHA inspections on record and 17 violations cited. The crosshair marks the median among these Educational Services peers. Across this sector's tracked employers, more inspections is moderately associated with more violations found -- not a coincidence, but not a guarantee either.

Northwestern University in the Educational Services enforcement ledger

Among 856 Educational Services employers with OSHA penalties on file, Northwestern University ranks #7 at $94,604 current penalty.

How Northwestern University Compares

Northwestern University's 4.25 violations per inspection compares to the Educational Services sector average of 5.7 violations per employer.

Against the Educational Services industry average of $3,025 per employer, this employer's current OSHA penalty runs far above peers (31.3x the sector average).

Total Inspections

First Inspection

2018-11-08

Last Inspection

2026-01-23

Inspection Span

7 yrs

Violations / Inspection

4.3

Avg Penalty / Inspection

$23,651

Industry Avg / Inspection

$1,199

What this shows 4 inspections over 7 years, averaging 4.3 violations per visit. That's $23,651 per inspection vs. the Educational Services average of $1,199.

Serious

82.4% of total

Willful

0.0% of total

Repeat

0.0% of total

Other-Than-Serious

17.6% 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

$120,023

Current Penalty Amount

$94,604

Penalty Reduction

21.2%

What this shows Penalties were reduced by $25,419 from the initial assessment of $120,023. Reductions may result from informal settlements, formal contests, or negotiated agreements with OSHA.

Industry Safety Context: Educational Services

How Northwestern University compares to the Educational Services sector, which has 3,186 employers tracked by PlainWorker.

Metric	Northwestern University	Industry Avg
Inspections	4	2.5
Violations	17	5.7
Total Penalty	$94,604	$3,025
Avg Penalty per Inspection	$23,651	$1,199

View all 3,186 employers in Educational Services →

Nationwide Educational Services peers with similar penalties or inspection counts

Two OSHA-record peer sets for Northwestern University, both outside IL so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.

Similar current OSHA penalty

Nearest same-sector employers by current assessed penalty ($94,604 here).

DE $98,857 PR Fresno Unified School District $90,240 CA DE $89,000 PR Upr $87,586 PR

Similar OSHA inspection count

Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (4 inspections here).

San Juan Unified School District 4 insp. Carmichael, CA Tupper Lake CSD 4 insp. Tupper Lake, NY Golden Door Charter School 4 insp. Jersey City, NJ Riverside Unified School District 4 insp. Riverside, CA

Nearby & Similar Employers in Educational Services

Showing 5 of 3185 other employers tracked in this sector.

Upr Recinto DE Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR

1 inspections $0

Twin Rivers Unified School District

McClellan, CA

1 inspections $4,685

Fresno Unified School District

Fresno, CA

19 inspections $90,240

Saint Augustine's University

Raleigh, NC

3 inspections $2,700

San Juan, PR

39 inspections $98,857

Compare Northwestern University vs Upr Recinto DE Mayaguez side-by-side →

What to do with this record

Use Northwestern University's enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.

A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare Northwestern University against Upr Recinto DE Mayaguez, a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
See whether Northwestern University's inspection and penalty record is typical for Educational Services or an outlier against the sector's own average. View the Educational Services 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 Northwestern University safe to work at? ▼

Based on OSHA records, Northwestern University's workplace safety record is concerning, with multiple serious compliance issues. The employer has 17 violations across 4 inspections, including 14 serious violations. Compared to Educational Services industry peers, this is above average for penalties. Review the full inspection history below for details.

How many OSHA violations does Northwestern University have? ▼

Northwestern University has 17 OSHA violations on record, including 14 serious, 0 willful, and 0 repeat violations. The total current penalty amount is $94,604.

How many OSHA inspections has Northwestern University had? ▼

Northwestern University has had 4 OSHA inspections, with the first recorded on 2018-11-08 and the most recent on 2026-01-23. This averages 4.3 violations per inspection.

What is the total penalty amount for Northwestern University? ▼

Northwestern University has been assessed $94,604 in current OSHA penalties, reduced from an initial assessment of $120,023 (a 21.2% reduction).

Does Northwestern University have any serious or willful violations? ▼

Yes. Northwestern University has 14 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 Northwestern University operate in? ▼

Northwestern University operates in the Educational Services sector (NAICS code 611310). This industry has 3,186 employers tracked by PlainWorker, with 8,042 total OSHA inspections and $9.64M in cumulative penalties.

Where does Northwestern University rank nationally on OSHA penalties? ▼

Among the 99,447 U.S. employers with a nonzero current OSHA penalty in PlainWorker's corpus, Northwestern University ranks #1,951 (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 Northwestern University's safety record compare to industry average? ▼

Northwestern University's total OSHA penalty of $94,604 is above the Educational Services industry average of $3,025 per employer (31.3x the average). The employer has 4 inspections compared to the industry average of 2.5 per employer. For a direct comparison, Saint Augustine's University in Raleigh, NC is a similar educational services employer with $2,700 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.