Transportation & Warehousing · Dallas, TX

Southwest Airlines

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Southwest Airlines has a relatively clean safety record: 1 violations across 2 inspections. See the full breakdown below.

100% serious
$0
OSHA penalties
1
Violations cited
2
OSHA inspections
$0
Back wages owed

Southwest Airlines in Dallas, TX has been the subject of 2 OSHA workplace inspections and 1 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Federal wage-and-hour enforcement records also show 3 WHD violations against this employer under the Fair Labor Standards Act. 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 2 times across a longer 6-year span, an infrequent cadence. These inspections resulted in 1 violation, averaging 0.5 per inspection, on the lighter side. Of these, 1 were classified as serious - indicating hazards that could cause death or serious harm. Against the Transportation & Warehousing industry average of 2 inspections per employer, this sits roughly in line with peers (1.1x 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, Underground Archives LLC in East Brady, PA is another transportation & warehousing employer with 2 OSHA inspections on record and $0 in current penalties.

0.5
violations per inspection
100.0%
of violations were serious
$0
in back wages recovered

Compliance score

B 88/100
  • B OSHA safety compliance: 1 violation across 2 OSHA inspections (0.5 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 3 WHD cases ($0 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 Transportation & Warehousing employers with an OSHA inspection on record, placed by inspections and violations cited. The highlighted dot is Southwest Airlines.

Frequently inspected, many findingsRarely inspected, many findingsFrequently inspected, clean recordBelow median on both1.92.022.02.008.116.324.432.5OSHA inspectionsViolations citedPRIME FLIGHT AVIATION SERVICES, INC, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 9QUEEN OF AMERICA INC., OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 9WELLSVILLE TERMINAL CO., OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 31PIKES PEAK MOVING AND STORAGE L.L.C., OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 4GO NEW YORK TOURS INC., OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 15CITY LINE DISTRIBUTORS, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 9ALABAMA STEEL TERMINALS, LLC, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 4FEDEX GROUND PACKAGE SYSTEM, INC., OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 6TARGET CORPORATION, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 1FRESH & EASY, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 7FAX CARGO SERVICE, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 9UPS GROUND FREIGHT, INC., OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 6COMBINED TRANSPORT INC, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 5SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO., OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 4UPS GROUND FREIGHT, INC. DBA UPS FREIGHT, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 2J & B MODERN TECH, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 14INTERCHANGE GROUP, INC., OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 4AVIATION FUEL SYSTEMS REPAIR INC, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 6LYLE GAMRADT INC, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 10ABF FREIGHT SYSTEM,INC., OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 3Southwest Airlines, OSHA inspections: 2 · Violations cited: 1
Southwest Airlines has 2 OSHA inspections on record and 1 violation 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.

How Southwest Airlines Compares

Southwest Airlines's 0.50 violations per inspection compares to the Transportation & Warehousing sector average of 3.2 violations per employer.

No OSHA penalty has been assessed against Southwest Airlines to date. The Transportation & Warehousing sector average runs $6,129 per employer.

Enforcement detail

OSHA Inspection History

Total Inspections

2

First Inspection

2010-11-10

Last Inspection

2016-07-20

Inspection Span

6 yrs

Violations / Inspection

0.5

Avg Penalty / Inspection

$0

Industry Avg / Inspection

$3,295

What this shows 2 inspections over 6 years, averaging 0.5 violations per visit. That's $0 per inspection vs. the Transportation & Warehousing average of $3,295.

Enforcement detail

Violation Breakdown

1

Serious

100.0% of total

0

Willful

0.0% of total

0

Repeat

0.0% of total

0

Other-Than-Serious

0.0% 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.

Wage & Hour Findings

WHD Cases
3
Back Wages Owed
$0
Employees Affected
0
WHD Violations
3

Industry Safety Context: Transportation & Warehousing

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

Metric Southwest Airlines Industry Avg
Inspections 2 1.9
Violations 1 3.2
Total Penalty $0 $6,129
Avg Penalty per Inspection $0 $3,295

Nationwide Transportation & Warehousing peers with similar penalties or inspection counts

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

Nearby & Similar Employers in Transportation & Warehousing

Showing 5 of 9913 other employers tracked in this sector.

Compare Southwest Airlines vs Agi LLC- Lga Ground side-by-side →

What to do with this record

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

  • A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare Southwest Airlines against Agi LLC- Lga Ground, a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
  • See whether Southwest Airlines'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 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 safe to work at? ▼
Based on OSHA records, Southwest Airlines's workplace safety record is relatively clean, with fewer violations than typical. The employer has 1 violations across 2 inspections, including 1 serious violations. 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 have? ▼
Southwest Airlines has 1 OSHA violations on record, including 1 serious, 0 willful, and 0 repeat violations. The total current penalty amount is $0.
How many OSHA inspections has Southwest Airlines had? ▼
Southwest Airlines has had 2 OSHA inspections, with the first recorded on 2010-11-10 and the most recent on 2016-07-20. This averages 0.5 violations per inspection.
What is the total penalty amount for Southwest Airlines? ▼
Southwest Airlines has been assessed $0 in current OSHA penalties, reduced from an initial assessment of $5,000 (a 100.0% reduction). Additionally, $0 in back wages were owed through WHD enforcement.
Does Southwest Airlines have any serious or willful violations? ▼
Yes. Southwest Airlines has 1 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 Southwest Airlines been cited for wage theft? ▼
Yes. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has recorded 3 enforcement cases against Southwest Airlines, 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 operate in? ▼
Southwest Airlines 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 owes me wages? ▼
If you believe Southwest Airlines 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 3 cases.
How does Southwest Airlines's safety record compare to industry average? ▼
Southwest Airlines's total OSHA penalty of $0 is below the Transportation & Warehousing industry average of $6,129 per employer. The employer has 2 inspections compared to the industry average of 1.9 per employer. For a direct comparison, Underground Archives LLC in East Brady, PA is a similar transportation & warehousing employer with $0 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 2 inspections on record. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.