States › Kentucky

State enforcement profile · #44 of 56 by penalties

Workplace enforcement in Kentucky

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Kentucky has 1,621 employers in the federal enforcement record, with 1,881 OSHA inspections and $5.7M in penalties assessed. The state's Wage and Hour Division has recovered $24.8M in back wages across 993 enforcement cases.

1,621
Employers
1,881
Inspections
$5.7M
OSHA penalties
$24.8M
Back wages

The state in one line

Kentucky ranks #44 of 56 U.S. jurisdictions by total OSHA penalties, with 3,171 violations cited across 1,881 inspections and $24.8M in wages recovered for workers.

#44
of 56 states by penalties
1.69
violations per inspection
$4K
avg penalty per employer
993
WHD wage-theft cases

What to check next

Kentucky's enforcement record is one jurisdiction in a national pattern. Treat it as a benchmark to drill down from, not a verdict on the state overall.

  • Kentucky averages 1.69 violations per inspection, at or below the 2.21 national average across 56 states.
  • See Kentucky's single worst-cited employer in full detail. United Eletric Company record
  • Compare Kentucky against a similarly-sized state by employer count. Nebraska record
  • Put two employers head-to-head on inspections, penalties, and back wages. Compare employers

What the data says about Kentucky

Federal workplace enforcement in Kentucky covers 1,621 employers with 1,881 total OSHA inspections on record. Inspectors documented 3,171 violations statewide, yielding 1.69 violations per inspection on average. OSHA has assessed $5.7M in penalties against employers in the state, averaging $4K per tracked employer.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) adds a separate enforcement layer, recovering $24.8M in back wages across 993 cases - an average of $25K per case. Combined OSHA and WHD enforcement activity gives workers, journalists, and researchers a verifiable record of which employers have been cited and which workplaces regulators have prioritized.

The employers listed on this page represent workplaces with at least two OSHA inspections or $1,000 or more in WHD back wages owed. Data is sourced directly from data.dol.gov. Penalty figures are current assessed amounts, reflecting any settlements, informal conference reductions, or formal contest outcomes. Click any employer below to view their full inspection history, violation breakdown by severity, and wage-compliance record.

How Kentucky compares to similarly-sized states

Total OSHA penalties: states with a similar number of tracked employers

  1. 1
    Nebraska $16,165,542
  2. 2
    Arkansas $10,542,867
  3. 3
    Maine $9,952,570
  4. 4
    Idaho $7,148,821
  5. 5
    Kentucky (this state) $5,711,590
  6. 6
    New Mexico $5,345,339

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

Where Kentucky ranks nationally

Average OSHA penalty per tracked employer, vs all 56 U.S. jurisdictions

$3,523 Bottom 16% least affordable more affordable than 16% of 56 U.S. jurisdictions

$0–$2,000: 5 U.S. jurisdictions (9%). Below this entry. $2,000–$4,000: 11 U.S. jurisdictions (20%). This entry sits in this band. $4,000–$6,000: 15 U.S. jurisdictions (27%). Above this entry. $6,000–$8,000: 10 U.S. jurisdictions (18%). Above this entry. $8,000–$10,000: 5 U.S. jurisdictions (9%). Above this entry. $10,000–$12,000: 4 U.S. jurisdictions (7%). Above this entry. $12,000–$14,000: 2 U.S. jurisdictions (4%). Above this entry. $14,000–$16,000: 3 U.S. jurisdictions (5%). Above this entry. $16,000–$18,000: 0 U.S. jurisdictions (0%). Above this entry. $18,000–$20,000: 0 U.S. jurisdictions (0%). Above this entry. $20,000–$22,000: 1 U.S. jurisdictions (2%). Above this entry. $22,000–$24,000: 0 U.S. jurisdictions (0%). Above this entry. Kentucky $0 $24,000 every U.S. jurisdiction, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $2K-wide band; taller bars hold more U.S. jurisdictions. 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

Top OSHA & wage enforcement actions in Kentucky

Ranked by combined OSHA penalties and DOL Wage & Hour Division back wages. Some employers below have wage-theft cases with zero OSHA safety violations, or vice versa; check the Inspections/Violations columns before drawing safety conclusions.

# Employer InspectionsViolationsPenalty + wages
1 United Eletric Company Louisville 0 0 $2.0M
2 New Model Logistics, LLC Simpsonville 0 0 $1.2M
3 United Electric Co. Louisville 0 0 $1.0M
4 Winit America, Inc. Hebron 0 0 $1.0M
5 FCI Federal, Inc. Williamsburg 0 0 $810K
6 FCI Federal, Inc. Williamsburg 0 0 $804K
7 Senture London 0 0 $615K
8 Krispy Kreme Louisville 0 0 $594K
9 Fiesta Time Amigos, Inc. Prospect 0 0 $577K
10 Dauenhauer Plumbing Louisville 0 0 $362K
11 American Security Program Covington 0 0 $277K
12 TechFlyte, LLC Louisville 0 0 $269K
13 Coalburg Enterprises, Inc. Lovely 0 0 $263K
14 First Marine, LLC, a Division of Western Rivers Boat Management, INC., Assumed Name for WRBM, LLC Calvert City 2 35 $247K
15 Steve Asmussen Louisville 0 0 $234K
16 Asian Buffet Shelbyville 0 0 $234K
17 El Nopal Louisville 0 0 $234K
18 Cumberland Behavior Group Somerset 0 0 $226K
19 B & F Contracting, Inc. Ashland 0 0 $213K
20 West Sixth Nulu Louisville 0 0 $204K

All employers in Kentucky

Employer CityInspectionsPenalty
University of Louisville Louisville 2 $0
Givaudan Flavors Corporation Florence 3 $0
Johnson Controls INC Georgetown 2 $0
Owensboro Municipal Utilities-Elmer Smith Station Owensboro 2 $0
Kyosan Denso Manufacturing Kentucky LLC Mount Sterling 2 $0
Xerox Commercial Services LLC Lexington 2 $0
Unknown Employer Lexington 3 $0
Ford Motor Company Louisville 16 $0
Lexington Fayette Urban County Government Lexington 5 $0
Labor Works-Lexington LLC Lexington 2 $0
New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC DBA at&T Mobility Grayson 3 $0
CTB INC Ashland 2 $0
Orbis Corporation Georgetown 2 $0
Century Aluminum Sebree LLC Robards 2 $0
Four Seasons Environmental Covington 2 $0
American Fuji Seal INC Bardstown 2 $0
Internal Revenue Service Covington 3 $0
Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas, INC. Harrodsburg 2 $0
Frankfort Plant Board Municipal Projects Corporati Frankfort 2 $0
Omico, INC. Owensboro 2 $0
Whayne Supply Company Corbin 2 $0
Algood Food Company Louisville 2 $0
Zachry Construction Corporation Louisville 2 $0
Campbellsville Handmade Cherry Furniture BY Eugene Campbellsville 2 $0
Department of Army Fort Knox 2 $0
DHL Express (USA), INC. Erlanger 6 $0
Toyota Tsusho America, INC. Georgetown 2 $0
Louisville Paving Company INC Louisville 2 $0
Forth Technologies INC Louisville 2 $0
Rouck Plumbing Company Elizabethtown 2 $0
JCR Company INC Louisville 2 $0
Commonwealth Health Corporation Bowling Green 2 $0
FLYNN Brothers Contracting INC Louisville 2 $0
Hacker Brothers INC London 2 $0
Barts Electric Company Fort Campbell 2 $0
Lagco INC Lexington 2 $0
Wehr Constructors, INC. Louisville 3 $0
VCC LLC Simpsonville 3 $0
Cta Acoustics, INC. Corbin 3 $0
Eagle Manufacturing Company LLC Florence 2 $0
United Parcel Service Louisville 4 $0
Denn-Ohio LLC Lexington 2 $0
Whatever IT Takes Transmission & Parts, INC. Louisville 2 $0
Unknown Employer Paducah 5 $0
Phillips Tree Experts INC Corbin 4 $0
Messer Construction CO Lexington 2 $0
Lincoln Village Regional Juvenile Detention Center Elizabethtown 2 $0
Brett Construction CO Lexington 2 $0
Logan Aluminum INC. Russellville 2 $0
Sustainable Buildings LLC DBA a Better Building Shelbyville 2 $0
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Nearby states by enforcement footprint

Compare top violators in Kentucky side-by-side →

Industries in Kentucky

Enforcement and wage-compliance data broken out by industry sector within Kentucky.

Top Cities in Kentucky

The 20 cities with the most employers in the federal enforcement record within Kentucky (of 61 total).

View all 61 cities in Kentucky →

Source: OSHA Enforcement Data, U.S. Department of Labor · Verify with OSHA establishment search →
Source: Wage & Hour Division Compliance Actions, U.S. Department of Labor · DOL WHD data →

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. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.