Wholesale Trade · Chicago, IL

RQL Scrap Metal, INC.

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), RQL Scrap Metal, INC. ranks #1,575 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a concerning safety record: 19 violations across 4 inspections.

Top 5% by penalty42% serious

Compiled by Plainworker · September 6, 2026

$105,547
OSHA penalties: 19
Violations cited: 4
OSHA inspections: #1,575
of 99,447 penalized employers

RQL Scrap Metal, INC. in Chicago, IL has been the subject of 4 OSHA workplace inspections and 19 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $105,547. All enforcement data below is sourced from the DOL public enforcement databases at data.dol.gov.

The record in one line

OSHA has inspected RQL Scrap Metal, INC. 4 times over 3 years, roughly annually. These inspections resulted in 19 violations, averaging 4.8 per inspection, above what's typical for a single visit. According to OSHA enforcement records, its total current penalty ranks #1,575 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers (the top 5% of penalized employers nationally). Of these, 8 were classified as serious - indicating hazards that could cause death or serious harm. Against the Wholesale Trade industry average of 2 inspections per employer, this runs well above peers (2.0x the sector average) on inspection frequency. For comparison, Continental Brick Company in Martinsburg, WV is another wholesale trade employer with 2 OSHA inspections on record and $105,577 in current penalties.

4.8
violations per inspection: 42.1%
of violations were serious: #1,575
of 99,447 penalized employers

Compliance score

F 21/100

F OSHA safety compliance: 19 violations across 4 OSHA inspections (4.8 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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RQL Scrap Metal, INC.

$105,547
Wholesale Trade avg

$9,112

What this shows RQL Scrap Metal, INC. runs far above peers (11.6x 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

$105,547 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 Wholesale Trade employers with an OSHA inspection on record, placed by inspections and violations cited. The highlighted dot is RQL Scrap Metal, INC..

RQL Scrap Metal, INC. has 4 OSHA inspections on record and 19 violations cited. The crosshair marks the median among these Wholesale Trade peers. Across this sector's tracked employers, more inspections is moderately associated with more violations found -- not a coincidence, but not a guarantee either.

RQL Scrap Metal, INC. in the Wholesale Trade enforcement ledger

Wholesale Trade sector: RQL Scrap Metal, INC. is the #54 heaviest OSHA penalty carrier of 4,429 employers with nonzero fines ($105,547).

How RQL Scrap Metal, INC. Compares

RQL Scrap Metal, INC.'s 4.75 violations per inspection compares to the Wholesale Trade sector average of 5.5 violations per employer.

Against the Wholesale Trade industry average of $9,112 per employer, this employer's current OSHA penalty runs far above peers (11.6x the sector average).

Total Inspections

First Inspection

2021-09-08

Last Inspection

2024-11-21

Inspection Span

3 yrs

Violations / Inspection

4.8

Avg Penalty / Inspection

$26,387

Industry Avg / Inspection

$4,665

What this shows 4 inspections over 3 years, averaging 4.8 violations per visit. That's $26,387 per inspection vs. the Wholesale Trade average of $4,665.

Serious

42.1% of total

Willful

0.0% of total

Repeat

52.6% of total

Other-Than-Serious

5.3% 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

$166,244

Current Penalty Amount

$105,547

Penalty Reduction

36.5%

What this shows Penalties were reduced by $60,697 from the initial assessment of $166,244. Reductions may result from informal settlements, formal contests, or negotiated agreements with OSHA.

Industry Safety Context: Wholesale Trade

How RQL Scrap Metal, INC. compares to the Wholesale Trade sector, which has 6,881 employers tracked by PlainWorker.

Metric	RQL Scrap Metal, INC.	Industry Avg
Inspections	4	2.0
Violations	19	5.5
Total Penalty	$105,547	$9,112
Avg Penalty per Inspection	$26,387	$4,665

View all 6,881 employers in Wholesale Trade →

Nationwide Wholesale Trade peers with similar penalties or inspection counts

Two OSHA-record peer sets for RQL Scrap Metal, INC., both outside IL so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.

Similar current OSHA penalty

Nearest same-sector employers by current assessed penalty ($105,547 here).

Continental Brick Company $105,577 WV Abad Foam INC $105,108 CA California Ranch Food Company, INC. $104,575 CA Genan INC. $104,499 TX

Similar OSHA inspection count

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

Zimowski Food Specialties INC. 4 insp. Chadwicks, NY M S International, INC. 4 insp. Austell, GA U.S. Electrical Services, INC. 4 insp. Middletown, CT FPT Cleveland, LLC 4 insp. Cleveland, OH

Nearby & Similar Employers in Wholesale Trade

Showing 5 of 6880 other employers tracked in this sector.

Continental Brick Company

Martinsburg, WV

2 inspections $105,577

Abad Foam INC

Buena Park, CA

2 inspections $105,108

Biscayne Contractors, Inc

Alexandria, VA

0 inspections $0

California Ranch Food Company, INC.

Vernon, CA

2 inspections $104,575

Genan INC.

Houston, TX

3 inspections $104,499

Compare RQL Scrap Metal, INC. vs Continental Brick Company side-by-side →

What to do with this record

Use RQL Scrap Metal, INC.'s enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.

A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare RQL Scrap Metal, INC. against Continental Brick Company, a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
See whether RQL Scrap Metal, INC.'s inspection and penalty record is typical for Wholesale Trade or an outlier against the sector's own average. View the Wholesale Trade 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 RQL Scrap Metal, INC. safe to work at? ▼

Based on OSHA records, RQL Scrap Metal, INC.'s workplace safety record is concerning, with multiple serious compliance issues. The employer has 19 violations across 4 inspections, including 8 serious violations. Compared to Wholesale Trade industry peers, this is above average for penalties. Review the full inspection history below for details.

How many OSHA violations does RQL Scrap Metal, INC. have? ▼

RQL Scrap Metal, INC. has 19 OSHA violations on record, including 8 serious, 0 willful, and 10 repeat violations. The total current penalty amount is $105,547.

How many OSHA inspections has RQL Scrap Metal, INC. had? ▼

RQL Scrap Metal, INC. has had 4 OSHA inspections, with the first recorded on 2021-09-08 and the most recent on 2024-11-21. This averages 4.8 violations per inspection.

What is the total penalty amount for RQL Scrap Metal, INC.? ▼

RQL Scrap Metal, INC. has been assessed $105,547 in current OSHA penalties, reduced from an initial assessment of $166,244 (a 36.5% reduction).

Does RQL Scrap Metal, INC. have any serious or willful violations? ▼

Yes. RQL Scrap Metal, INC. has 8 serious violations, and 10 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.

What industry does RQL Scrap Metal, INC. operate in? ▼

RQL Scrap Metal, INC. operates in the Wholesale Trade sector (NAICS code 423930). This industry has 6,881 employers tracked by PlainWorker, with 13,442 total OSHA inspections and $62.70M in cumulative penalties.

Where does RQL Scrap Metal, INC. rank nationally on OSHA penalties? ▼

Among the 99,447 U.S. employers with a nonzero current OSHA penalty in PlainWorker's corpus, RQL Scrap Metal, INC. ranks #1,575 (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 RQL Scrap Metal, INC.'s safety record compare to industry average? ▼

RQL Scrap Metal, INC.'s total OSHA penalty of $105,547 is above the Wholesale Trade industry average of $9,112 per employer (11.6x the average). The employer has 4 inspections compared to the industry average of 2.0 per employer. For a direct comparison, Continental Brick Company in Martinsburg, WV is a similar wholesale trade employer with $105,577 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.