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PLUM CREEK DBA NORTHWEST LUMBER, INC.
$64,580
penalties
69
viol.
11
insp.

PLUM CREEK DBA NORTHWEST LUMBER, INC.

500 12 AVE. WEST, COLUMBIA FALLS, MT 59912NAICS 321219 Reconstituted Wood Product Manufacturing

Inspections
11
Jun 1999 to Aug 2002 · 5 safety, 6 health
Violations
69
across 11 inspections
Penalties on record
$64,580
latest amounts in DOL records
By classification
Serious 48Willful 0Repeat 1Other 20

Having inspection records is common for businesses in regulated industries. Data and methodology

Inspection records

Aug 7, 2002Follow-Up (F) · Partial scope, Health#304404825$15,0001 viol.

Inspection #304404825

Dates

Opened
Aug 7, 2002
Closing Conference Date
Aug 7, 2002
Closed
Oct 17, 2002

Inspection

Advance Notice
No
Owner Type
Private
Union Status
No
Number of Employees
150

Violations and Penalties

Total Violations
1
Violation Types
1 repeat
Initial Penalties
$25,000
Penalties on Record
$15,000
Site Address
500 12 Ave. West, Columbia Falls, MT 59912
Industry
321219 Reconstituted Wood Product Manufacturing

Follow-Up Inspection: This inspection record is categorized as a follow-up inspection in the DOL OSHA enforcement data. Follow-up inspections are used by OSHA after earlier enforcement activity and can be used to check later compliance status.

Chemical Exposure Sampling1 substance sampled

Air monitoring samples collected by OSHA during this inspection. Results grouped by substance.

SubstanceSamplesResult RangeUnit
Formaldehyde18.3578711ppm

Violations

Violation list (1 of 1 shown)
CitationStandardTypeInstancesExposedInitialCurrentAbatementContestFinal Order
010011910.1048
Formaldehyde
OSHA citation code: 19101048 L04
Repeat64$25,000$15,000Oct 28, 2002--
Aug 6, 2002Follow-Up (F) · Partial scope, Health#304405145$00 viol.

Inspection #304405145

Dates

Opened
Aug 6, 2002
Closing Conference Date
Aug 6, 2002
Closed
Aug 19, 2002

Inspection

Advance Notice
No
Owner Type
Private
Union Status
No
Number of Employees
220

Violations and Penalties

Total Violations
0
Initial Penalties
$0
Penalties on Record
$0
Site Address
500 12th Ave. West, Columbia Falls, MT 59912
Industry
321219 Reconstituted Wood Product Manufacturing

Follow-Up Inspection: This inspection record is categorized as a follow-up inspection in the DOL OSHA enforcement data. Follow-up inspections are used by OSHA after earlier enforcement activity and can be used to check later compliance status.

Mar 21, 2002Unprogrammed Related (G) · Partial scope, Safety#304400641$9382 viol.

Inspection #304400641

Dates

Opened
Mar 21, 2002
Closing Conference Date
Apr 11, 2002
Closed
May 16, 2002

Inspection

Advance Notice
No
Owner Type
Private
Union Status
No
Number of Employees
240
Related Activity
1 complaint

Violations and Penalties

Total Violations
2
Violation Types
1 serious, 1 other-than-serious
Initial Penalties
$1,875
Penalties on Record
$938
Site Address
500 12 Ave. West, Columbia Falls, MT 59912
Industry
321219 Reconstituted Wood Product Manufacturing

Unprogrammed Related Inspection: This inspection record is categorized as an unprogrammed related inspection in the DOL OSHA enforcement data. The public DOL category label is preserved here without adding extra interpretation beyond the government label.

Violations

Violation list (2 of 2 shown)
CitationStandardTypeInstancesExposedInitialCurrentAbatementContestFinal Order
010011910.265
Sawmills
OSHA citation code: 19100265 C31 I
Serious13$1,875$938May 13, 2002--
020011910.265
Sawmills
OSHA citation code: 19100265 C31 I
Other23$0$0May 2, 2002--
Mar 21, 2002Unprogrammed Related (G) · Partial scope, Safety#304400633$00 viol.

Inspection #304400633

Dates

Opened
Mar 21, 2002
Closing Conference Date
Apr 11, 2002
Closed
Apr 15, 2002

Inspection

Advance Notice
No
Owner Type
Private
Union Status
No
Number of Employees
185
Related Activity
1 complaint

Violations and Penalties

Total Violations
0
Initial Penalties
$0
Penalties on Record
$0
Site Address
500 12 Ave. West, Columbia Falls, MT 59912
Industry
321219 Reconstituted Wood Product Manufacturing

Unprogrammed Related Inspection: This inspection record is categorized as an unprogrammed related inspection in the DOL OSHA enforcement data. The public DOL category label is preserved here without adding extra interpretation beyond the government label.

Aug 1, 2001Planned (H) · Complete scope, Health#304397714$20,00023 viol.

Inspection #304397714

Dates

Opened
Aug 1, 2001
Closing Conference Date
Oct 26, 2001
Closed
Oct 17, 2002

Inspection

Advance Notice
No
Owner Type
Private
Union Status
No
Number of Employees
150

Violations and Penalties

Total Violations
23
Violation Types
20 serious, 3 other-than-serious
Initial Penalties
$40,000
Penalties on Record
$20,000
Site Address
500 12 Ave. West, Columbia Falls, MT 59912
Industry
321219 Reconstituted Wood Product Manufacturing

Planned Inspection: This inspection record is categorized as a planned inspection in the DOL OSHA enforcement data. Planned inspections are part of OSHA's scheduled enforcement activity rather than being opened directly from a complaint or reported incident at that worksite.

Chemical Exposure Sampling6 substances sampled

Air monitoring samples collected by OSHA during this inspection. Results grouped by substance.

SubstanceSamplesResult RangeUnit
2-Butoxyethanol40 - 0.0521879ppm
Ammonia120.69 - 10ppm
Formaldehyde360 - 37.4796867ppm
Gravimetric DeterminationQC60.0409 - 4.8795mg/m³
Particulates not otherwise regulated (Respirable Fraction)10.6607mg/m³
Particulates not otherwise regulated (Total Dust)32.0041 - 4.8795mg/m³
Sample WeightQC60.033 - 4.05mg
Wood Dust, all soft and hard woods, except Western Red Cedar20.0409 - 0.1092mg/m³

Violations

Violation list (5 of 23 shown)
CitationStandardTypeInstancesExposedInitialCurrentAbatementContestFinal Order
010015A0001
General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1)
Serious16$5,000$2,500Dec 12, 2001--
010021910.23
Ladders
OSHA citation code: 19100023 C01
Serious32$2,500$1,250Nov 15, 2001--
01003A1910.134
Respiratory Protection
OSHA citation code: 19100134 D03 I
Serious16$5,000$2,500Jan 11, 2002--
01003B1910.134
Respiratory Protection
OSHA citation code: 19100134 E01
Serious55$0$0Jan 11, 2002--
01003C1910.134
Respiratory Protection
OSHA citation code: 19100134 F02
Serious44$0$0Jan 11, 2002--

Showing the 5 violations listed first by citation identifier. This inspection has 23 total violations documented in the U.S. Department of Labor OSHA enforcement database. The complete violation list is available at enforcedata.dol.gov.

Jun 5, 2001Planned (H) · Complete scope, Health#304396658$18,50018 viol.

Inspection #304396658

Dates

Opened
Jun 5, 2001
Closing Conference Date
Jun 5, 2001
Closed
Apr 29, 2002

Inspection

Advance Notice
No
Owner Type
Private
Union Status
No
Number of Employees
220

Violations and Penalties

Total Violations
18
Violation Types
14 serious, 4 other-than-serious
Initial Penalties
$42,000
Penalties on Record
$18,500
Site Address
500 12th Ave. West, Columbia Falls, MT 59912
Industry
321219 Reconstituted Wood Product Manufacturing

Planned Inspection: This inspection record is categorized as a planned inspection in the DOL OSHA enforcement data. Planned inspections are part of OSHA's scheduled enforcement activity rather than being opened directly from a complaint or reported incident at that worksite.

Chemical Exposure Sampling17 substances sampled

Air monitoring samples collected by OSHA during this inspection. Results grouped by substance.

SubstanceSamplesResult RangeUnit
Antimony and Compounds (as Sb)80mg/m³
Beryllium and Beryllium Compounds (as Be)80mg/m³
Cadmium80mg/m³
Chromium, Metal and Insoluble Salts20.0009794 - 0.0041915mg/m³
Cobalt, Metal, Dust and Fume (as Co)70 - 0.019mg/m³
Copper Fume (as Cu)80 - 0.0125309mg/m³
Gravimetric DeterminationQC20.1202 - 0.3082mg/m³
Iron Oxide Fume21.1755788 - 2.1034539mg/m³
Lead, Inorganic (as Pb)80mg/m³
Manganese Fume (as Mn)20.0546383 - 0.228018mg/m³
Molybdenum (as Mo), Insoluble Compounds (Total Dust)20 - 0.0054745mg/m³
Nickel, Metal and Insoluble compounds (as Ni)20.0013123 - 0.0262479mg/m³
Sample WeightQC30 - 0.244mg
Silver, Metal and Soluble Compounds (as Ag)60 - 0.0050689mg/m³
Tin, inorganic compounds (except oxides) (as Sn)60mg/m³
Tungsten (as W) Insoluble Compounds50 - 0.25mg/m³
Vanadium fume (as V2O5)20mg/m³
Wood Dust, all soft and hard woods, except Western Red Cedar30 - 0.3082mg/m³
Zinc Oxide Fume80 - 0.0098448mg/m³

Violations

Violation list (5 of 18 shown)
CitationStandardTypeInstancesExposedInitialCurrentAbatementContestFinal Order
010011910.265
Sawmills
OSHA citation code: 19100265 E04 IIC
Serious12$5,000$2,500Aug 17, 2001--
010021910.265
Sawmills
OSHA citation code: 19100265 C18 I
Serious23$5,000$0Aug 17, 2001--
010031910.212
General Requirements for All Machines (Machine Guarding)
OSHA citation code: 19100212 A03 II
Serious54$2,000$1,000Sep 15, 2001--
01004A1910.132
Personal Protective Equipment - General Requirements
OSHA citation code: 19100132 D01
Serious11$2,500$1,250Aug 26, 2001--
01004B1910.133
Eye and Face Protection
OSHA citation code: 19100133 A01
Serious11$0$0Aug 17, 2001--

Showing the 5 violations listed first by citation identifier. This inspection has 18 total violations documented in the U.S. Department of Labor OSHA enforcement database. The complete violation list is available at enforcedata.dol.gov.

Jun 5, 2001Planned (H) · Complete scope, Health#304396641$2,5004 viol.

Inspection #304396641

Dates

Opened
Jun 5, 2001
Closing Conference Date
Jul 23, 2001
Closed
Aug 16, 2001

Inspection

Advance Notice
No
Owner Type
Private
Union Status
No
Number of Employees
186

Violations and Penalties

Total Violations
4
Violation Types
1 serious, 3 other-than-serious
Initial Penalties
$5,000
Penalties on Record
$2,500
Site Address
500 12th Ave. West, Columbia Falls, MT 59912
Industry
321211 Hardwood Veneer and Plywood Manufacturing

Planned Inspection: This inspection record is categorized as a planned inspection in the DOL OSHA enforcement data. Planned inspections are part of OSHA's scheduled enforcement activity rather than being opened directly from a complaint or reported incident at that worksite.

Violations

Violation list (4 of 4 shown)
CitationStandardTypeInstancesExposedInitialCurrentAbatementContestFinal Order
010011910.95
Occupational Noise Exposure
OSHA citation code: 19100095 G08 IIB
Serious14$5,000$2,500Aug 25, 2001--
020011910.95
Occupational Noise Exposure
OSHA citation code: 19100095 I01
Other15$0$0Jul 26, 2001--
020021910.134
Respiratory Protection
OSHA citation code: 19100134 K06
Other11$0$0Jul 26, 2001--
020031910.95
Occupational Noise Exposure
OSHA citation code: 19100095 M02 IIE
Other19$0$0Aug 25, 2001--
Mar 29, 2001Planned (H) · Complete scope, Safety#302899786$2,4397 viol.

Inspection #302899786

Dates

Opened
Mar 29, 2001
Closing Conference Date
Mar 29, 2001
Closed
Apr 30, 2001

Inspection

Advance Notice
No
Owner Type
Private
Union Status
No
Number of Employees
186

Violations and Penalties

Total Violations
7
Violation Types
4 serious, 3 other-than-serious
Initial Penalties
$4,875
Penalties on Record
$2,439
Site Address
500 12th Ave. West, Columbia Falls, MT 59912
Industry
321211 Hardwood Veneer and Plywood Manufacturing

Planned Inspection: This inspection record is categorized as a planned inspection in the DOL OSHA enforcement data. Planned inspections are part of OSHA's scheduled enforcement activity rather than being opened directly from a complaint or reported incident at that worksite.

Violations

Violation list (5 of 7 shown)
CitationStandardTypeInstancesExposedInitialCurrentAbatementContestFinal Order
010011910.23
Ladders
OSHA citation code: 19100023 C01
Serious11$1,625$813Apr 28, 2001--
010021910.169
Air Receivers
OSHA citation code: 19100169 B03 I
Serious15$1,300$650Apr 28, 2001--
010031910.212
General Requirements for All Machines (Machine Guarding)
OSHA citation code: 19100212 A01
Serious14$975$488Apr 28, 2001--
010041910.219
Mechanical Power-Transmission Apparatus
OSHA citation code: 19100219 D01
Serious15$975$488Apr 28, 2001--
020011910.22
Walking-Working Surfaces - General Requirements
OSHA citation code: 19100022 D01
Other12$0$0Apr 28, 2001--

Showing the 5 violations listed first by citation identifier. This inspection has 7 total violations documented in the U.S. Department of Labor OSHA enforcement database. The complete violation list is available at enforcedata.dol.gov.

Mar 28, 2001Planned (H) · Complete scope, Safety#302899778$2,2766 viol.

Inspection #302899778

Dates

Opened
Mar 28, 2001
Closing Conference Date
Mar 28, 2001
Closed
Jun 7, 2004

Inspection

Advance Notice
No
Owner Type
Private
Union Status
No
Number of Employees
145

Violations and Penalties

Total Violations
6
Violation Types
3 serious, 3 other-than-serious
Initial Penalties
$4,550
Penalties on Record
$2,276
Site Address
500 12 Ave. West, Columbia Falls, MT 59912
Industry
321219 Reconstituted Wood Product Manufacturing

Planned Inspection: This inspection record is categorized as a planned inspection in the DOL OSHA enforcement data. Planned inspections are part of OSHA's scheduled enforcement activity rather than being opened directly from a complaint or reported incident at that worksite.

Violations

Violation list (5 of 6 shown)
CitationStandardTypeInstancesExposedInitialCurrentAbatementContestFinal Order
010011910.23
Ladders
OSHA citation code: 19100023 C01
Serious26$1,625$813Apr 29, 2001--
010021910.212
General Requirements for All Machines (Machine Guarding)
OSHA citation code: 19100212 A01
Serious25$1,300$650May 14, 2001--
010031926.153
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LP-Gas)
OSHA citation code: 19260153 O
Serious11$1,625$813Apr 16, 2001--
020011910.37
Maintenance, Safeguards, and Operational Features for Exit Routes
OSHA citation code: 19100037 Q01
Other16$0$0Apr 16, 2001--
020021910.147
Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout)
OSHA citation code: 19100147 C04 II
Other14$0$0May 14, 2001--

Showing the 5 violations listed first by citation identifier. This inspection has 6 total violations documented in the U.S. Department of Labor OSHA enforcement database. The complete violation list is available at enforcedata.dol.gov.

Failure to Abate Penalties1 citation, $31,000 in FTA penalties on record

OSHA's enforcement record shows Failure to Abate (FTA) activity recorded against 1 citation issued in this inspection. An FTA penalty is assessed during a follow-up inspection when OSHA's records indicate a previously cited hazard was not corrected by the abatement date. Each row below shows the FTA fields published on the original citation record: the follow-up inspection number, the FTA issuance date, the FTA penalty amount, and any FTA contest or final order date on record.

CitationFTA InspectionFTA IssuanceFTA PenaltyFTA ContestFTA Final Order
02002#304404106Dec 19, 2002$31,000Jan 9, 2003Mar 16, 2004
Mar 27, 2001Planned (H) · Complete scope, Safety#302899752$2,9278 viol.

Inspection #302899752

Dates

Opened
Mar 27, 2001
Closing Conference Date
Mar 27, 2001
Closed
May 22, 2001

Inspection

Advance Notice
No
Owner Type
Private
Union Status
No
Number of Employees
140

Violations and Penalties

Total Violations
8
Violation Types
5 serious, 3 other-than-serious
Initial Penalties
$5,850
Penalties on Record
$2,927
Site Address
500 12th Ave. West, Columbia Falls, MT 59912
Industry
321219 Reconstituted Wood Product Manufacturing

Planned Inspection: This inspection record is categorized as a planned inspection in the DOL OSHA enforcement data. Planned inspections are part of OSHA's scheduled enforcement activity rather than being opened directly from a complaint or reported incident at that worksite.

Violations

Violation list (5 of 8 shown)
CitationStandardTypeInstancesExposedInitialCurrentAbatementContestFinal Order
010011910.24
Step Bolts and Manhole Steps
OSHA citation code: 19100024 H
Serious12$975$488May 14, 2001--
01002A1910.132
Personal Protective Equipment - General Requirements
OSHA citation code: 19100132 D01
Serious11$1,625$813Apr 16, 2001--
01002B1910.133
Eye and Face Protection
OSHA citation code: 19100133 A01
Serious11$0$0Apr 16, 2001--
010031910.265
Sawmills
OSHA citation code: 19100265 C04 IV
Serious22$1,625$813May 14, 2001--
010041910.265
Sawmills
OSHA citation code: 19100265 F03 IIA
Serious11$1,625$813May 14, 2001--

Showing the 5 violations listed first by citation identifier. This inspection has 8 total violations documented in the U.S. Department of Labor OSHA enforcement database. The complete violation list is available at enforcedata.dol.gov.

Inspections 1 to 10 of 11, newest first

Penalty amounts may differ from final amounts after settlement or judicial review. How to read these records

About these records

A company page groups inspections with the same normalized employer name, city and state; it is not a legal-entity identifier (how pages are grouped).

This page displays public OSHA enforcement data. Status text follows the DOL inspection record first and may include citation-level context when the inspection feed and citation records are out of sync. Penalty amounts shown reflect the latest penalty amounts on record in the DOL database and may differ from initial assessments or final amounts. This is not an official OSHA resource.

OSHA's public enforcement data does not publish a "guilty" or "not guilty" field for inspections. The closest outcome fields available are the citation counts, penalty amounts, contest dates, final-order dates, and the inspection close date shown on this page. How to interpret these status fields. How initial and current penalties are recorded.

OSHA may publish multiple citation rows in the same inspection with the same standard and penalty fields. Separate rows can still differ in OSHA metadata such as citation identifier, recorded instance count, exposed workers, or gravity value. Contest and Final Order columns show citation-level dates from OSHA's enforcement record. A dash means OSHA's record does not currently show that activity for the citation.

Source: OSHA chemical exposure sampling data (OSHA Information System). P = Personal (worker breathing zone), A = Area (general air). Rows marked QC are analytical quality control measurements, not chemical exposures. OSHA PEL (Permissible Exposure Limit) values from the OSHA Occupational Chemical Database, matched via IMIS substance code (analyte code) (exact government key).

Source: U.S. Department of Labor OSHA enforcement data, violations table fields fta_insp_nr, fta_issuance_date, fta_penalty, fta_contest_date, fta_final_order_date. The FTA follow-up inspection is linked via fta_insp_nr to the inspection activity number (exact government key). When the follow-up inspection is not currently on record in SafetyRecord, the inspection number is shown without a link.

Understanding These Penalties

The maximum penalty for a serious violation in 2025 is $16,550 per violation. For willful violations, the range is $11,823 to $165,514. The current penalty column shows the latest amount on record in OSHA's database for each citation. When the current penalty differs from the initial penalty, OSHA's records show that the amount changed during the enforcement process, but this page does not determine the specific reason for each change. Penalty amounts are set by OSHA and adjusted annually for inflation.

Standards cited

1910.1048Formaldehyde12 citations · $26,250
1910.265Sawmills9 citations · $8,814
1910.95Occupational Noise Exposure7 citations · $7,500

Chemical exposure sampling

Samples
163
Substances
24
Inspections
3

Sample results are listed in the record of each inspection that collected them.

Industry comparison

Violations per inspection
This employer6.3
Industry average3.3
Penalties per inspection
This employer$5,871
Industry average$2,549

Wood Product Manufacturing, 19,564 employers with OSHA inspections. Arithmetic from DOL records.

Other inspected employers in COLUMBIA FALLS, MT

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