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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
Excel Utility Construction INC Port Angeles 3 $285
Postal Express Kirkland 3 $280
Columbia Basin Fitness Club I Richland 3 $280
RS Manufacturing INC Lynnwood 2 $280
On Safari Foods INC Seattle 2 $270
Hinds Bock CORP Bothell 2 $270
Phelps Tire CO INC Tacoma 4 $260
U.S. Postal Service - Tacoma Processing and Distribution Center Tacoma 2 $253
Davis Furniture Wenatchee 2 $250
Cash & Carry Smart Foodservice Burlington 2 $250
Birch Bay Water & Sewer Dist. Birch Bay 2 $250
Commercial Industrial Roofing Kent 2 $250
Active Construction INC Gig Harbor 2 $250
All Top Roofing INC Kelso 2 $250
Smith Gardens INC Bellingham 2 $250
Mister Car Wash Spokane 2 $250
Sound View Window & Door INC Seattle 2 $250
Tom-N-Jerrys Boats-N-Motors Mount Vernon 2 $250
Gutter Topper NW Seattle 2 $250
Homesley Construction INC Moses Lake 2 $250
LA Conner Retirement Inn LA Conner 2 $250
Greer Steel Lakewood 2 $250
Northwest Aerospace Technologi Everett 2 $250
Reds Construction Langley 2 $250
Marc Desmarais Farms INC Moxee 2 $250
Howard S Wright Constructors Seattle 2 $250
South Bay Automotive LLC Olympia 2 $250
Kennewick Grocery Outlet Kennewick 3 $250
Line-X of Olympia INC Tumwater 2 $250
Titus Will Chevrolet Sales Olympia 2 $250
Penhalluricks True Value Moses Lake 2 $250
A 1 Illuminated Sign Company Spokane Valley 2 $250
Air Design Heating & Air Cond Spokane Valley 2 $250
Last Supper Club Seattle 2 $250
Harrington Construction & Deve Buckley 2 $250
Swantown Marina Olympia 2 $250
MI Carniceria II LLC Moses Lake 2 $250
Dominos Pizza Port Orchard 2 $250
Skone & Connors Produce INC Wapato 3 $250
Construction Expeditors LLC Renton 2 $250
Matthew J Maynard DDS Arlington 2 $250
Herbco International Corporati Duvall 2 $250
Edgewood Dental Laboratory INC Mukilteo 2 $250
Touchet Seed & Energy LLC Touchet 2 $250
MC Nett Corporation Bellingham 2 $250
Puget Sound Petroleum INC Tacoma 2 $250
Brink Holding LLC Yakima 2 $250
Truck Rail Handling INC Tacoma 2 $250
3 10 Roofing Tacoma 2 $250
Fairhaven Shipyard Bellingham 11 $240
← Previous Page 67 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.