States › Tennessee

State enforcement profile · #19 of 56 by penalties

Workplace enforcement in Tennessee

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Tennessee has 6,262 employers in the federal enforcement record, with 11,286 OSHA inspections and $24.6M in penalties assessed. The state's Wage and Hour Division has recovered $57.0M in back wages across 2,035 enforcement cases.

6,262
Employers
11,286
Inspections
$24.6M
OSHA penalties
$57.0M
Back wages

The state in one line

Tennessee ranks #19 of 56 U.S. jurisdictions by total OSHA penalties, with 38,865 violations cited across 11,286 inspections and $57.0M in wages recovered for workers.

#19
of 56 states by penalties
3.44
violations per inspection
$4K
avg penalty per employer
2,035
WHD wage-theft cases

What to check next

Tennessee'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.

What the data says about Tennessee

Federal workplace enforcement in Tennessee covers 6,262 employers with 11,286 total OSHA inspections on record. Inspectors documented 38,865 violations statewide, yielding 3.44 violations per inspection on average. OSHA has assessed $24.6M 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 $57.0M in back wages across 2,035 cases - an average of $28K 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 Tennessee compares to similarly-sized states

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

  1. 1
    Ohio $106,180,403
  2. 2
    Georgia $57,227,186
  3. 3
    Tennessee (this state) $24,610,636
  4. 4
    Washington $12,220,960
  5. 5
    North Carolina $10,686,507
  6. 6
    Oregon $5,783,273

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

Where Tennessee ranks nationally

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

$3,930 Bottom 25% least affordable more affordable than 25% 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. Tennessee $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 Tennessee

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 Supreme Labor Source (Sub to RDI) Clarksville 0 0 $7.3M
2 Accurate Energetic Systems, LLC MC Ewen 2 105 $3.1M
3 McKesson Specialty Distribution, LLC Memphis 0 0 $1.6M
4 No Place Like Home Collierville 0 0 $1.1M
5 On Call Staffing Memphis 0 0 $800K
6 American Ordnance Milan 0 0 $678K
7 Robinson Aviation Nashville 0 0 $600K
8 Western Express Nashville 0 0 $476K
9 Prisoner Transportation Services (PTS) of Ame Nashville 0 0 $446K
10 Big South Fork Medical Center Oneida 0 0 $386K
11 Casa Vieja Hendersonville 0 0 $376K
12 621610 -- Servants Quest Oliver Springs 0 0 $359K
13 Pat Salmon & Sons Memphis 0 0 $350K
14 Kilgore Flares Company LLC Toone 8 51 $350K
15 Hankook Tire Manufacturing Clarksville 0 0 $343K
16 Lakeway Achievement Center Morristown 0 0 $343K
17 Eagle Medical Service Memphis 0 0 $328K
18 Emory Valley Center Oak Ridge 0 0 $324K
19 TransCor America Nashville 0 0 $322K
20 BSH Home Appliances Corporation Jacksboro 2 5 $318K

All employers in Tennessee

Employer CityInspectionsPenalty
Huntingdon Special School District - High School Huntingdon 3 $0
Huntingdon Special School District - Maintenance Huntingdon 3 $0
Gleason - City Shop Gleason 6 $0
Gleason - Police Department Gleason 3 $0
McKenzie Special School District - Maintenance MC Kenzie 7 $0
Humboldt Utilities - Electric Department Humboldt 3 $0
Humboldt Utilities - Water Humboldt 3 $0
Clarksburg - City Hall Clarksburg 7 $0
Clarksburg - Police Department Clarksburg 5 $0
The Auto Club Group Collierville 2 $0
TN Treasury Department - Nashville Nashville 4 $0
TN Arts Commission - Nashville Nashville 4 $0
TN Economic & Community Development - Nashville Nashville 5 $0
Sese Industrial Services US CORP Chattanooga 4 $0
Big Creek Utility District - Water Plant Coalmont 4 $0
Second South Cheatham Utility District - Water Treatment Plant Kingston Springs 4 $0
Second South Cheatham Utility District - Distribution Kingston Springs 4 $0
Camden - Water Department Camden 2 $0
Camden - Street Department Camden 2 $0
Cocke County - Fire Department Newport 2 $0
Covington - City Garage Covington 2 $0
Covington - Parks and Recreation Department Covington 2 $0
Lexington - Police Department Lexington 2 $0
Lexington - Parks & Recreation Lexington 2 $0
Faris Properties, LLC Kingsport 2 $0
Harriman Utility Board - Warehouse Harriman 2 $0
Harriman Utility Board - Waste Water Harriman 3 $0
Houston County - 911 Central Communications Erin 2 $0
Houston County - Sanitary Landfill Erin 2 $0
Nashville General Hospital at Meharry Nashville 5 $0
Athens - Fire Department 2 Athens 2 $0
Athens - Parks & Recreation Athens 3 $0
Jellico Utilities - Warehouse Jellico 3 $0
TN Education - York Institute Jamestown 2 $0
TN Education - School for the Deaf - Knoxville Knoxville 3 $0
Southern Rebar & Supplies, INC. Knoxville 2 $0
Radians, INC. Memphis 2 $0
Manchester City Schools - Technology Building Manchester 2 $0
Ridgely - Street & Sanitation Department Ridgely 2 $0
Ridgely - Police Department Ridgely 2 $0
Persia Utility District - Administration Rogersville 2 $0
Sunbright - Public Works Sunbright 4 $0
Sunbright - City Hall Sunbright 4 $0
Jackson Housing Authority-Maintenance Jackson 2 $0
Jackson Housing Authority - McMillan Towers Jackson 2 $0
Jackson Housing Authority - Lincoln Courts Jackson 2 $0
Lookout Mountain - Fire Department Lookout Mountain 3 $0
Mitch Cox Construction, INC. Johnson City 2 $0
Kimball - Fire Department Kimball 2 $0
Kimball - Police Department Kimball 2 $0
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Nearby states by enforcement footprint

Compare top violators in Tennessee side-by-side →

Industries in Tennessee

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

Top Cities in Tennessee

The 20 cities with the most employers in the federal enforcement record within Tennessee (of 242 total).

View all 242 cities in Tennessee →

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.