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Inspection outcome
Opened: December 10, 2021 · Closed: May 23, 2022
Major citations

OSHA issued serious-tier citations with significant penalties.

Safety inspection · Type M · Partial — limited to specific operations or areas

Violations5
Serious+5
Initial penalty$24,000
Current penalty$24,000
Accidents0
Duration164d
Summary

What happened in this inspection

On December 10, 2021, OSHA opened City Of Sterling - Fire Dept.’s inspection #345679740 at ROCK FALLS, Illinois. The case was administratively closed on May 23, 2022, 164 days after opening.

OSHA cited the employer for 5 violations totaling $24,000 in current penalties. Of those, 5 were classified as Serious or worse.

Breakdown by classification
5violations total
Willful360%

A Willful violation is one OSHA determined the employer committed with intentional disregard for, or plain indifference to, the OSH Act. It carries the highest civil penalty — up to ~$165,000 per violation. Willful violations are rare and signal the most serious workplace safety failures.

Serious240%

A Serious violation is one where there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result, and the employer knew (or should have known) of the hazard. Maximum penalty is ~$16,550 per violation. The majority of OSHA citations fall into this category.

Citations

Citations issued in this inspection

5citations issued
$24,000current penalty
Look up on OSHA.gov
Willful
Citation #01001
820 ILCS 219/20(A)General Duty Clause or unstructured citation
Initial$8,000
Current$8,000
Willful
Citation #01002
29 CFR 1910.134(g)(4)View full regulation text on OSHA.gov
Initial$8,000
Current$8,000
Willful
Citation #01003
29 CFR 1910.156(c)(2)View full regulation text on OSHA.gov
Initial$8,000
Current$8,000
Serious
Citation #02001
820 ILCS 219/20(A)General Duty Clause or unstructured citation
Initial$0
Current$0

Standard codes link to the regulation text on OSHA.gov. The text describes the rule itself; the specific findings of this inspection appear above. To see OSHA’s official record of this inspection, search activity number 345679740 at OSHA Establishment Search.

Same employer

Other OSHA inspections at City Of Sterling - Fire Dept.

Earlier or related cases at this establishment.

Full inspection history →
Reference

About OSHA inspections

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) conducts inspections under several triggers: programmed targeting of high-hazard industries, employee complaints, workplace accidents, fatalities, and follow-ups to prior citations.

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Citations

Each citation specifies a section of 29 CFR, a severity tier, and a proposed penalty. Employers can contest citations through OSHA’s informal conference or before the OSH Review Commission.

Open vs closed

An open case has not yet been administratively closed — citations may follow or the case may close without action.

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Current vs initial penalty

Initial penalty is the proposed amount at citation. Current penalty is the post-conference / settlement figure on file today.

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Trigger types

A = Accident, B = Complaint, H = Programmed, F = Follow-up. See the glossary for all codes.

About this inspection

OSHA classified this as Type M — See our glossary for the full list of inspection trigger types.

Sources

Cross-check with OSHA directly

This page draws from the OSHA Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) via the DOL Open Data Portal. For the authoritative record, look up activity number 345679740 directly: