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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
Hotel International Lynnwood 2 $100
Days Inn Spokane 2 $100
Innovative Vacuum Serv INC Edmonds 2 $100
Big O Tires LLC Lynnwood 2 $100
Brecht Pacific Publishing INC Longview 2 $100
Built Right Construction Kennewick 2 $100
Peter Ross CA INC Seattle 2 $100
Dairy Queen Lynnwood 2 $100
Seattle Times Company Bothell 2 $100
Rainier Mountaineering INC Ashford 2 $100
Challenger Ridge Concrete 2 $100
Northwest Fence Bellingham 2 $100
Intech Enterprises INC Washougal 2 $100
Frontier Metal Fabrications IN Vancouver 3 $100
Jimmy Johns - Alderwood Mall Lynnwood 2 $100
Car Toys INC Everett 2 $100
Itekenergy LLC Bellingham 2 $100
Courtesy Auto Service & Tire O Tacoma 2 $100
Darigold INC Lynden 2 $100
Verles LLC Shelton 2 $100
Jody Miller Construction INC Tacoma 4 $100
Steel Partners INC Chehalis 2 $100
Batteries Plus Spokane 2 $100
Til Tom Dairy Onalaska 2 $100
Central Machinery Sales INC Moses Lake 2 $100
Party City of Silverdale, #438 Silverdale 2 $100
Wildwood Dental Group PLLC Mill Creek 2 $100
Party Outfitters Olympia 2 $100
Alaskan Campers INC Chehalis 2 $100
Bill's Glass Company Lynnwood 2 $100
Lowes H I W INC Moses Lake 2 $100
A & H Printers Moses Lake 2 $100
Sports Art America INC Woodinville 2 $100
Partners IN Careers Vancouver 2 $100
Kitsap Residences Port Orchard 2 $100
Twin City Collision Center INC Chehalis 2 $100
Taylor Station Shelton 3 $100
Schilter, Anton Chehalis 2 $100
Carson Cars INC Lynnwood 2 $100
Pride Electric Shoreline 2 $100
Arnold Dental Supply CO INC Lynnwood 2 $100
Pioneer Masonry Tacoma 2 $100
Cat Doctor the Federal Way 2 $100
Stotts Construction INC Curlew 3 $100
Keyera Energy INC Vancouver 2 $100
Tune Station Lakewood 2 $100
Columbia River Inn LLC Coulee Dam 2 $100
Douglas County Sewer Dist #1 East Wenatchee 2 $100
Northwest Ambulatory Surgery S Bellingham 2 $100
Home Depot #4726 Marysville 2 $100
← Previous Page 73 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.