Public Administration · Syracuse, NY

Onondaga County

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Onondaga County has a concerning safety record: 61 violations across 19 inspections. See the full breakdown below.

87% serious

Compiled by Plainworker · September 6, 2026

$0
OSHA penalties: 61
Violations cited: 19
OSHA inspections: $76,221
Back wages owed

Onondaga County in Syracuse, NY has been the subject of 19 OSHA workplace inspections and 61 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Separately, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found $76,221 in back wages owed to 5 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 Onondaga County 19 times over 7 years - more than twice a year on average. These inspections resulted in 61 violations, averaging 3.2 per inspection, above what's typical for a single visit. Of these, 53 were classified as serious - indicating hazards that could cause death or serious harm. Against the Public Administration industry average of 3 inspections per employer, this runs far above peers (6.0x the sector average) on inspection frequency. The Department of Labor also found wage violations, with $76,221 in back wages owed to 5 affected workers. For comparison, County of Maui - Dept. of Fire and Public Safety in Kihei, HI is another public administration employer with 2 OSHA inspections on record and $75,331 in current penalties.

3.2
violations per inspection: 86.9%
of violations were serious: $76,221
in back wages recovered

Compliance score

F 22/100

F OSHA safety compliance: 61 violations across 19 OSHA inspections (3.2 per inspection), vs. national p10 0.0 (best) / p90 5.5 (worst) among 145,626 inspected employers.
F Wage & hour compliance: $76K in back wages owed across 1 WHD case ($76K per case), vs. national p10 $2K (best) / p90 $58K (worst) among 91,622 employers with a WHD case on file.

Open my watchlist

Does more inspection scrutiny mean more findings?

Each dot is one of 21 Public Administration employers with an OSHA inspection on record, placed by inspections and violations cited. The highlighted dot is Onondaga County.

Onondaga County has 19 OSHA inspections on record and 61 violations cited. The crosshair marks the median among these Public Administration peers. Across this sector's tracked employers, more inspections is moderately associated with more violations found -- not a coincidence, but not a guarantee either.

Onondaga County in the Public Administration enforcement ledger

WHD back-wage recoveries in this sector place Onondaga County at rank #76 of 501 employers ($76,221 owed). Onondaga County carries no OSHA penalty in this extract but ranks #76 of 501 Public Administration employers on WHD back wages ($76,221).

Combined federal exposure here: $0 OSHA penalties plus $76,221 WHD back wages (100.0% of the combined total is wage recovery).

How Onondaga County Compares

Onondaga County's 3.21 violations per inspection compares to the Public Administration sector average of 6.4 violations per employer.

No OSHA penalty has been assessed against Onondaga County to date. The Public Administration sector average runs $2,606 per employer.

Total Inspections

First Inspection

2015-09-01

Last Inspection

2022-08-09

Inspection Span

7 yrs

Violations / Inspection

3.2

Avg Penalty / Inspection

Industry Avg / Inspection

$827

What this shows 19 inspections over 7 years, averaging 3.2 violations per visit. That's $0 per inspection vs. the Public Administration average of $827.

Serious

86.9% of total

Willful

0.0% of total

Repeat

11.5% of total

Other-Than-Serious

1.6% 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.

Wage & Hour Findings

WHD Cases

Back Wages Owed

$76,221

Employees Affected

WHD Violations

Avg Back Wages per Employee

$15,244

Avg Back Wages per CaseAbove average

$76,221

The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found that Onondaga County owed $76,221 in back wages to 5 employees across 1 case and 6 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: Public Administration

How Onondaga County compares to the Public Administration sector, which has 9,693 employers tracked by PlainWorker.

Metric	Onondaga County	Industry Avg
Inspections	19	3.2
Violations	61	6.4
Total Penalty	$0	$2,606
Avg Penalty per Inspection	$0	$827

View all 9,693 employers in Public Administration →

Nationwide Public Administration peers with similar penalties or inspection counts

Two OSHA-record peer sets for Onondaga County, both outside NY so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.

Similar OSHA inspection count

Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (19 inspections here).

CA Motor Vehicles 19 insp. Sacramento, CA City of West Haven 19 insp. West Haven, CT DE 19 insp. Arecibo, PR CA Corrections - Corcoran 19 insp. Corcoran, CA

Nearby & Similar Employers in Public Administration

Showing 5 of 9692 other employers tracked in this sector.

Orange Fire Department - Station #2

Orange, NJ

2 inspections $76,300

City of Santa Rosa/Water & Wastewater Department

Santa Rosa, NM

4 inspections $75,879

Northern State Prison

Newark, NJ

14 inspections $77,000

Liberty County Sheriff's Office

Liberty, TX

0 inspections $0

County of Maui - Dept. of Fire and Public Safety

Kihei, HI

2 inspections $75,331

Compare Onondaga County vs Orange Fire Department - Station #2 side-by-side →

What to do with this record

Use Onondaga County's enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.

A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare Onondaga County against Orange Fire Department - Station #2, a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
See whether Onondaga County's inspection and penalty record is typical for Public Administration or an outlier against the sector's own average. View the Public Administration sector
Onondaga County also carries $76,221 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

Is Onondaga County safe to work at? ▼

Based on OSHA records, Onondaga County's workplace safety record is concerning, with multiple serious compliance issues. The employer has 61 violations across 19 inspections, including 53 serious violations. Compared to Public Administration industry peers, this is below average for penalties. Review the full inspection history below for details.

How many OSHA violations does Onondaga County have? ▼

Onondaga County has 61 OSHA violations on record, including 53 serious, 0 willful, and 7 repeat violations. The total current penalty amount is $0.

How many OSHA inspections has Onondaga County had? ▼

Onondaga County has had 19 OSHA inspections, with the first recorded on 2015-09-01 and the most recent on 2022-08-09. This averages 3.2 violations per inspection.

What is the total penalty amount for Onondaga County? ▼

Onondaga County has been assessed $0 in current OSHA penalties. Additionally, $76,221 in back wages were owed through WHD enforcement.

Does Onondaga County have any serious or willful violations? ▼

Yes. Onondaga County has 53 serious violations, and 7 repeat violations. Serious violations involve hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Willful violations indicate the employer intentionally or knowingly disregarded the law.

Has Onondaga County been cited for wage theft? ▼

Yes. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has recorded 1 enforcement case against Onondaga County, resulting in $76,221 in back wages owed to 5 affected workers. These cases involve violations of federal labor laws including minimum wage, overtime, and other worker protections.

What industry does Onondaga County operate in? ▼

Onondaga County operates in the Public Administration sector (NAICS code 921140). This industry has 9,693 employers tracked by PlainWorker, with 30,559 total OSHA inspections and $25.26M in cumulative penalties.

What should I do if Onondaga County owes me wages? ▼

If you believe Onondaga County owes you wages, you can file a complaint with the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division at dol.gov/agencies/whd/contact/complaints or by calling 1-866-487-9243. WHD investigates violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act including unpaid minimum wage, overtime, and unauthorized deductions. The DOL has previously found $76,221 in back wages owed by this employer across 1 case.

How does Onondaga County's safety record compare to industry average? ▼

Onondaga County's total OSHA penalty of $0 is below the Public Administration industry average of $2,606 per employer. The employer has 19 inspections compared to the industry average of 3.2 per employer. For a direct comparison, County of Maui - Dept. of Fire and Public Safety in Kihei, HI is a similar public administration employer with $75,331 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.