Transportation & Warehousing · Des Moines, IA
U.S. Postal Service
According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), U.S. Postal Service ranks #702 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers by total current penalty, with a concerning safety record: 33 violations across 28 inspections.
- $173,671
- OSHA penalties
- 33
- Violations cited
- 28
- OSHA inspections
- #702
- of 99,447 penalized employers
U.S. Postal Service in Des Moines, IA has been the subject of 28 OSHA workplace inspections and 33 citations since 2010, according to enforcement records from the U.S. Department of Labor. Total penalties assessed: $173,671. All enforcement data below is sourced from the DOL public enforcement databases at data.dol.gov.
The record in one line
OSHA has inspected U.S. Postal Service 28 times over 16 years, roughly annually. These inspections resulted in 33 violations, averaging 1.2 per inspection. According to OSHA enforcement records, its total current penalty ranks #702 of 99,447 penalized U.S. employers (the top 1% of penalized employers nationally). Of these, 22 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 runs far above peers (15.1x the sector average) on inspection frequency. For comparison, U.S. Postal Service in New York, NY is another transportation & warehousing employer with 12 OSHA inspections on record and $173,782 in current penalties.
- 1.2
- violations per inspection
- 66.7%
- of violations were serious
- #702
- of 99,447 penalized employers
Compliance score
- C OSHA safety compliance: 33 violations across 28 OSHA inspections (1.2 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.
How U.S. Postal Service compares on OSHA penalties
Total current penalty vs the Transportation & Warehousing per-employer average
- U.S. Postal Service
U.S. Postal Service
$173,671 in penalties
- Transportation & Warehousing avg $6,129
Transportation & Warehousing industry average (per employer)
$6,129 in penalties
What this shows U.S. Postal Service runs far above peers (28.3x 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
$173,671 Bottom 1% least affordable more affordable than 1% 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 Transportation & Warehousing employers with an OSHA inspection on record, placed by inspections and violations cited. The highlighted dot is U.S. Postal Service.
U.S. Postal Service in the Transportation & Warehousing enforcement ledger
In Transportation & Warehousing, U.S. Postal Service sits at penalty rank #25 of 4,071 penalized establishments ($173,671 assessed).
How U.S. Postal Service Compares
U.S. Postal Service's 1.18 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 far above peers (28.3x the sector average).
Enforcement detail
OSHA Inspection History
Total Inspections
28
First Inspection
2010-05-25
Last Inspection
2026-05-27
Inspection Span
16 yrs
Violations / Inspection
1.2
Avg Penalty / Inspection
$6,203
Industry Avg / Inspection
$3,295
What this shows 28 inspections over 16 years, averaging 1.2 violations per visit. That's $6,203 per inspection vs. the Transportation & Warehousing average of $3,295.
Enforcement detail
Violation Breakdown
22
Serious
66.7% of total
0
Willful
0.0% of total
6
Repeat
18.2% of total
5
Other-Than-Serious
15.2% 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
$427,491
Current Penalty Amount
$173,671
Penalty Reduction
59.4%
What this shows Penalties were reduced by $253,820 from the initial assessment of $427,491. Reductions may result from informal settlements, formal contests, or negotiated agreements with OSHA.
Industry Safety Context: Transportation & Warehousing
How U.S. Postal Service compares to the Transportation & Warehousing sector, which has 9,914 employers tracked by PlainWorker.
| Metric | U.S. Postal Service | Industry Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Inspections | 28 | 1.9 |
| Violations | 33 | 3.2 |
| Total Penalty | $173,671 | $6,129 |
| Avg Penalty per Inspection | $6,203 | $3,295 |
Nationwide Transportation & Warehousing peers with similar penalties or inspection counts
Two OSHA-record peer sets for U.S. Postal Service, both outside IA so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment.
Similar current OSHA penalty
Nearest same-sector employers by current assessed penalty ($173,671 here).
Similar OSHA inspection count
Same-sector employers with a comparable inspection history outside this state (28 inspections here).
Nearby & Similar Employers in Transportation & Warehousing
Showing 5 of 9913 other employers tracked in this sector.
Compare U.S. Postal Service vs K.M. Nielsen Trucking, LP side-by-side →
What to do with this record
Use U.S. Postal Service's enforcement history as one data point, not the whole picture.
- A single employer's record can look unusual in isolation. Compare U.S. Postal Service against K.M. Nielsen Trucking, LP, a similarly-sized employer in the same sector, before drawing conclusions. Compare side-by-side
- See whether U.S. Postal Service's inspection and penalty record is typical for Transportation & Warehousing or an outlier against the sector's own average. View the Transportation & Warehousing 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
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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.