Educational Services · Portland, ME

Portland Public Schools

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Portland Public Schools ranks #81,555 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a mixed safety record: 5 violations across 2 inspections.

Lower half by penalty60% serious

Compiled by Plainworker · September 6, 2026

$1,500
OSHA penalties: 5
Violations cited: 2
OSHA inspections: #81,555
of 99,447 penalized employers

Portland Public Schools in Portland, ME has been the subject of 2 OSHA workplace inspections and 5 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $1,500. The employer also has 1 Wage and Hour Division (WHD) case on record, covering Fair Labor Standards Act enforcement. All enforcement data below is sourced from the DOL public enforcement databases at data.dol.gov.

The record in one line

OSHA has inspected Portland Public Schools 2 times across a longer 6-year span, an infrequent cadence. These inspections resulted in 5 violations, averaging 2.5 per inspection, above what's typical for a single visit. According to OSHA enforcement records, its total current penalty ranks #81,555 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers (the lower half of penalized employers nationally). Of these, 3 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 below peers (0.8x the sector average) on inspection frequency. The Department of Labor also found wage violations, with $7,801 in back wages owed to 7 affected workers. For comparison, Connecticut Technical Education and Career System in Waterbury, CT is another educational services employer with 17 OSHA inspections on record and $9,310 in current penalties.

2.5
violations per inspection: 60.0%
of violations were serious: #81,555
of 99,447 penalized employers: $7,801
in back wages recovered

Compliance score

C 68/100

D OSHA safety compliance: 5 violations across 2 OSHA inspections (2.5 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.

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Portland Public Schools

$1,500
Educational Services avg

$3,025

What this shows Portland Public Schools runs moderately below peers (0.5x 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

$1,500 Top 18% most affordable more affordable than 82% 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 Portland Public Schools.

Portland Public Schools has 2 OSHA inspections on record and 5 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.

Portland Public Schools in the Educational Services enforcement ledger

Educational Services sector: Portland Public Schools is the #645 heaviest OSHA penalty carrier of 856 employers with nonzero fines ($1,500). On wage-and-hour enforcement alone, Portland Public Schools ranks #234 among 478 Educational Services employers with WHD recoveries ($7,801).

Combined federal exposure here: $1,500 OSHA penalties plus $7,801 WHD back wages (83.9% of the combined total is wage recovery).

How Portland Public Schools Compares

Portland Public Schools's 2.50 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 moderately below peers (0.5x the sector average).

Total Inspections

First Inspection

2019-12-18

Last Inspection

2025-12-17

Inspection Span

6 yrs

Violations / Inspection

2.5

Avg Penalty / Inspection

$750

Industry Avg / Inspection

$1,199

What this shows 2 inspections over 6 years, averaging 2.5 violations per visit. That's $750 per inspection vs. the Educational Services average of $1,199.

Serious

60.0% of total

Willful

0.0% of total

Repeat

0.0% of total

Other-Than-Serious

40.0% 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.

Initial Penalty Assessed

$3,000

Current Penalty Amount

$1,500

Penalty Reduction

50.0%

Combined Impact (OSHA + WHD)

$9,301

What this shows Penalties were reduced by $1,500 from the initial assessment of $3,000. Reductions may result from informal settlements, formal contests, or negotiated agreements with OSHA.

Wage & Hour Findings

WHD Cases

Back Wages Owed

$7,801

Employees Affected

WHD Violations

Avg Back Wages per Employee

$1,114

Avg Back Wages per CaseBelow average

$7,801

The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found that Portland Public Schools owed $7,801 in back wages to 7 employees across 1 case and 9 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: Educational Services

How Portland Public Schools compares to the Educational Services sector, which has 3,186 employers tracked by PlainWorker.

Metric	Portland Public Schools	Industry Avg
Inspections	2	2.5
Violations	5	5.7
Total Penalty	$1,500	$3,025
Avg Penalty per Inspection	$750	$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 Portland Public Schools, both outside ME so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.

Similar current OSHA penalty

Nearest same-sector employers by current assessed penalty ($1,500 here).

Upr Recinto Carolina $1,500 PR MT. Diablo Unified School District $1,500 CA DE DR Manuel Elzaburu y Vizcarrondo $1,500 PR Ocongi, LLC $1,500 AZ

Similar OSHA inspection count

Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (2 inspections here).

DE Esc Roberto Alberty Torres 2 insp. Carolina, PR City of Newport News Public Schools 2 insp. Newport News, VA Corvallis SD 509j 2 insp. Corvallis, OR Carroll County - Carroll Academy 2 insp. Huntingdon, TN

Nearby & Similar Employers in Educational Services

Showing 5 of 3185 other employers tracked in this sector.

Empire Education Group

Kennesaw, GA

0 inspections $0

Connecticut Technical Education and Career System

Waterbury, CT

17 inspections $9,310

Minnesota State Academies

Faribault, MN

4 inspections $9,310

The University School of Milwaukee Corporation

Compare Portland Public Schools vs Empire Education Group side-by-side →

What to do with this record

Use Portland Public Schools's enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.

A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare Portland Public Schools against Empire Education Group, a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
See whether Portland Public Schools's inspection and penalty record is typical for Educational Services or an outlier against the sector's own average. View the Educational Services sector
Portland Public Schools also carries $7,801 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 Portland Public Schools safe to work at? ▼

Based on OSHA records, Portland Public Schools's workplace safety record is mixed, with some compliance concerns. The employer has 5 violations across 2 inspections, including 3 serious violations. Compared to Educational Services industry peers, this is below average for penalties. Review the full inspection history below for details.

How many OSHA violations does Portland Public Schools have? ▼

Portland Public Schools has 5 OSHA violations on record, including 3 serious, 0 willful, and 0 repeat violations. The total current penalty amount is $1,500.

How many OSHA inspections has Portland Public Schools had? ▼

Portland Public Schools has had 2 OSHA inspections, with the first recorded on 2019-12-18 and the most recent on 2025-12-17. This averages 2.5 violations per inspection.

What is the total penalty amount for Portland Public Schools? ▼

Portland Public Schools has been assessed $1,500 in current OSHA penalties, reduced from an initial assessment of $3,000 (a 50.0% reduction). Additionally, $7,801 in back wages were owed through WHD enforcement.

Does Portland Public Schools have any serious or willful violations? ▼

Yes. Portland Public Schools has 3 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.

Has Portland Public Schools been cited for wage theft? ▼

Yes. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has recorded 1 enforcement case against Portland Public Schools, resulting in $7,801 in back wages owed to 7 affected workers. These cases involve violations of federal labor laws including minimum wage, overtime, and other worker protections.

What industry does Portland Public Schools operate in? ▼

Portland Public Schools operates in the Educational Services sector (NAICS code 611110). This industry has 3,186 employers tracked by PlainWorker, with 8,042 total OSHA inspections and $9.64M in cumulative penalties.

What should I do if Portland Public Schools owes me wages? ▼

If you believe Portland Public Schools 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 $7,801 in back wages owed by this employer across 1 case.

Where does Portland Public Schools rank nationally on OSHA penalties? ▼

Among the 99,447 U.S. employers with a nonzero current OSHA penalty in PlainWorker's corpus, Portland Public Schools ranks #81,555 (the lower half 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 Portland Public Schools's safety record compare to industry average? ▼

Portland Public Schools's total OSHA penalty of $1,500 is below the Educational Services industry average of $3,025 per employer. The employer has 2 inspections compared to the industry average of 2.5 per employer. For a direct comparison, Connecticut Technical Education and Career System in Waterbury, CT is a similar educational services employer with $9,310 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.