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Employers › CA

Transportation & Warehousing · Oakland, CA

Southwest Airlines CO.

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Southwest Airlines CO. ranks #75,055 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a mixed safety record: 8 violations across 3 inspections.

Lower half by penalty0% serious
$2,150
OSHA penalties
8
Violations cited
3
OSHA inspections
#75,055
of 99,447 penalized employers

Southwest Airlines CO. in Oakland, CA has been the subject of 3 OSHA workplace inspections and 8 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $2,150. Separately, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division found $0 in back wages owed to an undisclosed number of 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 Southwest Airlines CO. 3 times across a longer 11-year span, an infrequent cadence. These inspections resulted in 8 violations, averaging 2.7 per inspection, above what's typical for a single visit. According to OSHA enforcement records, its total current penalty ranks #75,055 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers (the lower half of penalized employers nationally). Against the Transportation & Warehousing industry average of 2 inspections per employer, this runs moderately above peers (1.6x the sector average) on inspection frequency. The Department of Labor also found wage violations, with $0 in back wages owed to an undisclosed number of workers. For comparison, Mid-South Produce Distributors LLC in Nashville, TN is another transportation & warehousing employer with 2 OSHA inspections on record and $100 in current penalties.

2.7
violations per inspection
0.0%
of violations were serious
#75,055
of 99,447 penalized employers
$0
in back wages recovered

Compliance score

C 72/100
  • D OSHA safety compliance: 8 violations across 3 OSHA inspections (2.7 per inspection), vs. national p10 0.0 (best) / p90 5.5 (worst) among 145,626 inspected employers.
  • A Wage & hour compliance: $0 in back wages owed across 1 WHD case ($0 per case), vs. national p10 $2K (best) / p90 $58K (worst) among 91,622 employers with a WHD case on file.
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How Southwest Airlines CO. compares on OSHA penalties

Total current penalty vs the Transportation & Warehousing per-employer average

in penalties

What this shows Southwest Airlines CO. runs moderately below peers (0.4x the sector average) in total OSHA penalties.

Source U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA enforcement extracts As of 2026

Where this penalty ranks nationally

Total current OSHA penalty vs every U.S. employer with a nonzero penalty

$2,150 Top 25% most affordable more affordable than 75% of 99,447 U.S. employers with a penalty

$0–$5,000: 43,959 U.S. employers with a penalty (44%). This entry sits in this band. $5,000–$10,000: 20,304 U.S. employers with a penalty (20%). Above this entry. $10,000–$15,000: 11,027 U.S. employers with a penalty (11%). Above this entry. $15,000–$20,000: 6,546 U.S. employers with a penalty (7%). Above this entry. $20,000–$25,000: 4,175 U.S. employers with a penalty (4%). Above this entry. $25,000–$30,000: 2,877 U.S. employers with a penalty (3%). Above this entry. $30,000–$35,000: 2,036 U.S. employers with a penalty (2%). Above this entry. $35,000–$40,000: 1,493 U.S. employers with a penalty (2%). Above this entry. $40,000–$45,000: 1,095 U.S. employers with a penalty (1%). Above this entry. $45,000–$50,000: 785 U.S. employers with a penalty (1%). Above this entry. $50,000–$55,000: 5,150 U.S. employers with a penalty (5%). Above this entry. This employer $0 $55,000 every penalized U.S. employer, bucketed by value

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 Transportation & Warehousing employers with an OSHA inspection on record, placed by inspections and violations cited. The highlighted dot is Southwest Airlines CO..

Frequently inspected, many findingsRarely inspected, many findingsFrequently inspected, clean recordBelow median on both3.03.033.03.003.97.911.815.8OSHA inspectionsViolations citedSUN TERMINALS, INC., OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 2DOLLAR GENERAL CORPO…, OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 1PTI QUALITY CONTAINM…, OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 15DG DISTRIBUTION SOUT…, OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 1CENTRAL TRANSPORT INC., OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 2UNITED STATES COLD S…, OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 1RTS COLD STORAGE OF …, OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 8SADDLE CREEK CORPORA…, OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 4HERMANN WAREHOUSE CO…, OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 4U.S. POSTAL SERVICE, OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 6R & R INDUSTRIES, INC., OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 1ELITE LINE SERVICES …, OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 4INTERNATIONAL MARKET…, OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 4UNITED WAREHOUSE COM…, OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 3APEX MOVERS, OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 9MCCABE, HAMILTON& RE…, OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 0TARGET CORPORATION, OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 3CAPE MAY COUNTY BRID…, OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 2FEDERAL EXPRESS CORP, OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 3PORT OF OLYMPIA, OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 11Southwest Airlines CO., OSHA inspections: 3 · Violations cited: 8
Southwest Airlines CO. has 3 OSHA inspections on record and 8 violations cited. The crosshair marks the median among these Transportation & Warehousing peers. Across this sector's tracked employers, more inspections is moderately associated with more violations found -- not a coincidence, but not a guarantee either.

Southwest Airlines CO. in the Transportation & Warehousing enforcement ledger

In Transportation & Warehousing, Southwest Airlines CO. sits at penalty rank #3,189 of 4,071 penalized establishments ($2,150 assessed).

Combined federal exposure here: $2,150 OSHA penalties plus $0 WHD back wages (0.0% of the combined total is wage recovery).

How Southwest Airlines CO. Compares

Southwest Airlines CO.'s 2.67 violations per inspection compares to the Transportation & Warehousing sector average of 3.2 violations per employer.

Against the Transportation & Warehousing industry average of $6,129 per employer, this employer's current OSHA penalty runs moderately below peers (0.4x the sector average).

Enforcement detail

OSHA Inspection History

Total Inspections

3

First Inspection

2011-07-20

Last Inspection

2022-04-04

Inspection Span

11 yrs

Violations / Inspection

2.7

Avg Penalty / Inspection

$717

Industry Avg / Inspection

$3,295

What this shows 3 inspections over 11 years, averaging 2.7 violations per visit. That's $717 per inspection vs. the Transportation & Warehousing average of $3,295.

Enforcement detail

Violation Breakdown

0

Serious

0.0% of total

0

Willful

0.0% of total

0

Repeat

0.0% of total

8

Other-Than-Serious

100.0% 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

$3,875

Current Penalty Amount

$2,150

Penalty Reduction

44.5%

Combined Impact (OSHA + WHD)

$2,150

What this shows Penalties were reduced by $1,725 from the initial assessment of $3,875. Reductions may result from informal settlements, formal contests, or negotiated agreements with OSHA.

Wage & Hour Findings

WHD Cases
1
Back Wages Owed
$0
Employees Affected
0
WHD Violations
0

Industry Safety Context: Transportation & Warehousing

How Southwest Airlines CO. compares to the Transportation & Warehousing sector, which has 9,914 employers tracked by PlainWorker.

Metric Southwest Airlines CO. Industry Avg
Inspections 3 1.9
Violations 8 3.2
Total Penalty $2,150 $6,129
Avg Penalty per Inspection $717 $3,295
View all 9,914 employers in Transportation & Warehousing →

Nationwide Transportation & Warehousing peers with similar penalties or inspection counts

Two OSHA-record peer sets for Southwest Airlines CO., both outside CA so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.

Similar current OSHA penalty

Nearest same-sector employers by current assessed penalty ($2,150 here).

Fedex Ground Package System, INC. $2,146 IL Planters Cooperative Association $2,143 OK Transit Express, INC. $2,142 WI Veterans Distribution of Chicago, INC. $2,160 IL

Similar OSHA inspection count

Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (3 inspections here).

Sun Terminals, INC. 3 insp. Fort Lauderdale, FL Dollar General Corporation/Dolgencorp, LLC 3 insp. Longview, TX Pti Quality Containment Solutions LLC 3 insp. Belleville, MI DG Distribution Southeast LLC 3 insp. Newnan, GA

Nearby & Similar Employers in Transportation & Warehousing

Showing 5 of 9913 other employers tracked in this sector.

Sunrise Transportation
Bloomfield, NJ
0 inspections $0
Hawaiian Express Service, Inc.
Hayward, CA
0 inspections $0
Fedex Ground Package System, INC.
Sauget, IL
3 inspections $2,146
Mid-South Produce Distributors LLC
Nashville, TN
2 inspections $100
Hendrickson Trucking INC
Sacramento, CA
3 inspections $2,155

Compare Southwest Airlines CO. vs Sunrise Transportation side-by-side →

What to do with this record

Use Southwest Airlines CO.'s enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.

  • A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare Southwest Airlines CO. against Sunrise Transportation, a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
  • See whether Southwest Airlines CO.'s inspection and penalty record is typical for Transportation & Warehousing or an outlier against the sector's own average. View the Transportation & Warehousing sector
  • Southwest Airlines CO. also carries $0 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 Southwest Airlines CO. safe to work at? ▼
Based on OSHA records, Southwest Airlines CO.'s workplace safety record is mixed, with some compliance concerns. The employer has 8 violations across 3 inspections. Compared to Transportation & Warehousing industry peers, this is below average for penalties. Review the full inspection history below for details.
How many OSHA violations does Southwest Airlines CO. have? ▼
Southwest Airlines CO. has 8 OSHA violations on record, including 0 serious, 0 willful, and 0 repeat violations. The total current penalty amount is $2,150.
How many OSHA inspections has Southwest Airlines CO. had? ▼
Southwest Airlines CO. has had 3 OSHA inspections, with the first recorded on 2011-07-20 and the most recent on 2022-04-04. This averages 2.7 violations per inspection.
What is the total penalty amount for Southwest Airlines CO.? ▼
Southwest Airlines CO. has been assessed $2,150 in current OSHA penalties, reduced from an initial assessment of $3,875 (a 44.5% reduction). Additionally, $0 in back wages were owed through WHD enforcement.
Has Southwest Airlines CO. been cited for wage theft? ▼
Yes. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has recorded 1 enforcement case against Southwest Airlines CO., resulting in $0 in back wages owed to an undisclosed number of workers. These cases involve violations of federal labor laws including minimum wage, overtime, and other worker protections.
What industry does Southwest Airlines CO. operate in? ▼
Southwest Airlines CO. operates in the Transportation & Warehousing sector (NAICS code 481111). This industry has 9,914 employers tracked by PlainWorker, with 18,441 total OSHA inspections and $60.77M in cumulative penalties.
What should I do if Southwest Airlines CO. owes me wages? ▼
If you believe Southwest Airlines CO. 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 $0 in back wages owed by this employer across 1 case.
Where does Southwest Airlines CO. rank nationally on OSHA penalties? ▼
Among the 99,447 U.S. employers with a nonzero current OSHA penalty in PlainWorker's corpus, Southwest Airlines CO. ranks #75,055 (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 Southwest Airlines CO.'s safety record compare to industry average? ▼
Southwest Airlines CO.'s total OSHA penalty of $2,150 is below the Transportation & Warehousing industry average of $6,129 per employer. The employer has 3 inspections compared to the industry average of 1.9 per employer. For a direct comparison, Mid-South Produce Distributors LLC in Nashville, TN is a similar transportation & warehousing employer with $100 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.

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Every figure on PlainWorker is rendered directly from official U.S. Department of Labor OSHA and Wage & Hour Division enforcement records, no number is typed in by an editor. This employer's ratios (penalty-per-violation, industry comparisons) are computed live from the 3 inspections on record. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.