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State enforcement profile · #26 of 56 by penalties

Workplace enforcement in Washington

According to OSHA enforcement records (2010–2026), Washington has 5,445 employers in the federal enforcement record, with 11,410 OSHA inspections and $12.2M in penalties assessed. The state's Wage and Hour Division has recovered $40.2M in back wages across 966 enforcement cases.

5,445
Employers
11,410
Inspections
$12.2M
OSHA penalties
$40.2M
Back wages

The state in one line

Washington ranks #26 of 56 U.S. jurisdictions by total OSHA penalties, with 28,812 violations cited across 11,410 inspections and $40.2M in wages recovered for workers.

#26
of 56 states by penalties
2.53
violations per inspection
$2K
avg penalty per employer
966
WHD wage-theft cases

What to check next

Washington'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.

  • Washington averages 2.53 violations per inspection, above the 2.21 national average across 56 states.
  • See Washington's single worst-cited employer in full detail. King County Metro Transit record
  • Compare Washington against a similarly-sized state by employer count. Oregon record
  • Put two employers head-to-head on inspections, penalties, and back wages. Compare employers

What the data says about Washington

Federal workplace enforcement in Washington covers 5,445 employers with 11,410 total OSHA inspections on record. Inspectors documented 28,812 violations statewide, yielding 2.53 violations per inspection on average. OSHA has assessed $12.2M in penalties against employers in the state, averaging $2K per tracked employer.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) adds a separate enforcement layer, recovering $40.2M in back wages across 966 cases - an average of $42K 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 Washington compares to similarly-sized states

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

  1. 1
    Georgia $57,227,186
  2. 2
    Nevada $33,508,424
  3. 3
    Tennessee $24,610,636
  4. 4
    Washington (this state) $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 Washington ranks nationally

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

$2,244 Bottom 9% least affordable more affordable than 9% 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. Washington $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 Washington

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 King County Metro Transit Seattle 2 2 $3.3M
2 Zillow Seattle 0 0 $2.5M
3 Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation Seattle 0 0 $1.5M
4 Main Chinese Buffet Olympia 0 0 $1.3M
5 General Dynamics Land System, Inc. Dupont 0 0 $1.0M
6 Continental Floral Greens Shelton 0 0 $962K
7 Brothers Landscape Vashon Inc Vashon 0 0 $711K
8 Tubro Construction and Carpet Cleaning Auburn 0 0 $582K
9 Spa Therapy Bellingham 0 0 $521K
10 Azimetry Inc. Redmond 0 0 $436K
11 Pacific Glazing Solutions Woodinville 0 0 $388K
12 J & E Meza Plastering, Inc. Pasco 0 0 $381K
13 Partners Construction INC Seattle 6 28 $376K
14 Air Design Heating and Air Conditioning Spokane 0 0 $332K
15 Cannon Construction, Inc Milton 0 0 $327K
16 AEM Consulting, LLC Richland 0 0 $311K
17 People Tech Group Inc. Bellevue 0 0 $310K
18 Madison Manor & Edith Posadas, 3(d) Employer Tacoma 0 0 $290K
19 Evergreen Drywall LLC Puyallup 0 0 $286K
20 Sarbanand Farms Sumas 2 2 $270K

All employers in Washington

Employer CityInspectionsPenalty
Sandblasters INC Marysville 2 $300
Luke Manufacturing INC Marysville 2 $300
Stoddard International LLC Arlington 2 $300
MT Baker Powder Coating INC Ferndale 2 $300
Brar Farms Sumas 2 $300
Eclipse Screen Printing INC Spokane 2 $300
Northwest Hardwoods -Longview Longview 2 $300
Bioplex Nutrition INC Blaine 2 $300
Action Towing Pasco 3 $300
Welch Foods INC a Cooperative Grandview 4 $300
Fishing Vessel Owners Marine Seattle 3 $300
Dave Generaux Construction Vancouver 2 $300
Apollo Electric INC Spokane 2 $300
Garrett Construction CO INC Oroville 2 $300
Sensorlink Corporation Ferndale 2 $300
Team Construction LLC Moses Lake 2 $300
Lotus Fruit Packing INC Brewster 2 $300
Central Body Work INC Everett 2 $300
Windy Ridge Saloon & Eatery Goldendale 3 $300
Western Chemical Ferndale 2 $300
Cnac Corporation INC Grand Coulee 3 $300
Riverside Golf & Bistro Chehalis 2 $300
Allen Scholz Farms Puyallup 2 $300
South Regal Lumber Yard INC Spokane 2 $300
Peninsula Fleet Services INC Bremerton 2 $300
Soaring Hearts Natural Bed Company Seattle 2 $300
J P Construction Northwest INC Everett 2 $300
Dave Page Cobbler Seattle 4 $300
Smith Kia of Bellingham Bellingham 3 $300
Mailliards Landing Nursery Oak Harbor 2 $300
Valley Freightliner INC Mount Vernon 2 $300
H & R Construction Graham 2 $300
Cascade Electric Service LLC Kelso 2 $300
City of Tenino Tenino 2 $300
Shamrock Landscaping LLC Edmonds 2 $300
ML Construction Lake Tapps 2 $300
Dizard Frisch & Lund Masonry Seattle 2 $300
Skone Irrigation & Supply INC Warden 2 $300
Boise Cascade LLC Kettle Falls 2 $300
Renton Printery Incorporated Renton 3 $300
Pro Com INC Tacoma 2 $300
Canflex USA INC Anacortes 2 $300
Auto Truck Serv INC Everett 2 $300
Seacast INC Marysville 2 $300
Metier Construction INC Bonney Lake 2 $300
Collision Specialists INC Tacoma 2 $300
Metropolitan Sewer Seattle 2 $300
Ralphs Red Apple Market Bremerton 2 $300
Lady Lucks Cowgirl Up Steakho Tacoma 2 $300
Sultan Dental Center Sultan 5 $287
← Previous Page 66 of 109 Next →

Nearby states by enforcement footprint

Oregon
5,122 employers · $5.8M
North Carolina
6,102 employers · $10.7M
Tennessee
6,262 employers · $24.6M
Georgia
6,288 employers · $57.2M
Nevada
4,365 employers · $33.5M

Compare top violators in Washington side-by-side →

Industries in Washington

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

Accommodation & Food ServicesAdministrative & Waste ServicesAgriculture, Forestry, Fishing & HuntingArts, Entertainment & RecreationConstructionEducational ServicesFinance & InsuranceHealthcare & Social AssistanceInformationManufacturingMining, Quarrying, Oil & GasOtherOther ServicesProfessional & Technical ServicesPublic AdministrationReal Estate & RentalRetail TradeTransportation & WarehousingUtilitiesWholesale Trade

Top Cities in Washington

The 20 cities with the most employers in the federal enforcement record within Washington (of 142 total).

Seattle (700)Tacoma (322)Vancouver (245)Spokane (231)Olympia (150)Everett (137)Bellingham (137)Yakima (124)Kent (116)Puyallup (105)Bellevue (100)Moses Lake (86)Kennewick (74)Pasco (64)Mount Vernon (63)Lynnwood (63)Wenatchee (62)Longview (61)Auburn (58)Chehalis (57)

View all 142 cities in Washington →

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.