Establishment profile
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
303 E SUPERIOR ST., CHICAGO, IL, 60611
611310 — Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
Summary
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY has accumulated 5 OSHA violations across 6 inspections over 33 years of recorded history, with $22,698 in total assessed penalties.
The establishment sits in the 82nd percentile for violations within its industry-state peer group of 262 employers. Inspection frequency runs at the 99th percentile. The most recent enforcement activity was recorded 5 months ago.
Federal records were found in 2 of 15 sources. Sources without matching records returned empty for this establishment.
Agency coverage
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY appears in OSHA workplace safety and NLRB labor relations records only. No matching records were found in WHD wage enforcement, MSHA mine safety, EPA environmental compliance, OFLC visa and labor certification (historical), FMCSA motor carrier registration, SAM.gov federal debarment, CMS nursing home enforcement, CPSC product recalls, or NHTSA vehicle recalls.
OSHA workplace safety
33% of inspections at this establishment produced violations,
Most-cited OSHA standards
Top OSHA standards cited at this employer, ranked by citation count. Standards (CFR sections) cluster citations into safety themes -- machine guarding, lockout-tagout, hazard communication, fall protection, process safety, etc. A concentration on one or two sections reveals a pattern that individual citations don’t. 5 distinct standards shown · 5 citations in this view · $22,698 in penalties.
| CFR section | Citations | Inspections | Total penalty | First cited | Last cited |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 CFR 1910.0147 D | 1 | 1 | $13,240 | Jul 2026 | Jul 2026 |
| 29 CFR 1910.0147 C06 I | 1 | 1 | $9,458 | Jul 2026 | Jul 2026 |
| 29 CFR 1910.0038 A05 II | 1 | 1 | — | Sep 1993 | Sep 1993 |
| 29 CFR 1910.1200 G08 | 1 | 1 | — | Sep 1993 | Sep 1993 |
| 29 CFR 1910.1200 H02 IV | 1 | 1 | — | Sep 1993 | Sep 1993 |
Source: OSHA inspection citations (violation_detail). CFR section codes can be looked up at osha.gov/laws-regs for the formal standard text. Per-inspection detail and the specific violation descriptions are available by expanding individual inspections below.
Peer comparison
Worse on violations than most other employers in NAICS 6113 within IL. Peer group: 262 employers. This establishment has 5 OSHA violations; peer median is 1.
Safety self-report (OSHA 300A)
No self-reported injury rates filed with OSHA's Injury Tracking Application for NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY. Verify directly with OSHA Injury Tracking Application →
Industry benchmark
BLS rates reflect industry-wide averages. Self-reported figures come from OSHA’s Injury Tracking Application; absence of self-reported data does not necessarily indicate non-compliance — many establishments fall below the ITA reporting threshold.
Inspection breakdown
Complaint- and accident-triggered inspections are stronger risk signals than routine planned inspections.
OSHA severe injury reports
Self-reported events under 29 CFR 1904.39 (24-hour notification of hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye) · Sep 2017
Most frequent event: Other fall to lower level, unspecified
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports (federal OSHA only; state-plan states like California, Oregon, and Washington maintain their own programs and do not consistently report into this feed).
Severe injury reports — events
Each row is a hospitalization, amputation, or eye-loss event the employer self-reported to OSHA under 29 CFR 1904.39. Narratives are written by the reporting employer.
| Date | Event | Body part | Outcome | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 13, 2017 | Other fall to lower level, unspecified | Multiple body parts, n.e.c. | Hospitalized |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Federal-OSHA jurisdiction only by default; some state-plan programs report voluntarily.
Activity timeline
Most recent federal enforcement activity recorded 5 months ago. Data on this page is refreshed weekly.
Wage & Hour Division (WHD)
No WHD wage, overtime, or child-labor enforcement cases on file for NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY. Verify directly with Wage and Hour Division →
Mine safety (MSHA)
No MSHA mine safety violations on file for NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY. Verify directly with Mine Safety and Health Administration →
Labor relations (NLRB)
Company-level in IL — for NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, not this location alone
National Labor Relations Board — unfair labor practice charges and union representation cases. The NLRB records cases at the company/regional level (no worksite address), so these are matched by company name and state and may span other NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY locations in the same state.
NLRB cases
National Labor Relations Board cases involving this employer. Includes unfair labor practice (ULP) filings and representation election proceedings. NLRB enforcement is process-driven; no per-case monetary penalty is assessed (remedies are case-by-case backpay orders, posting requirements, election re-runs, etc.). 19 cases · 6 ULP · 10 representation
| Case number | Type | Filed | Closed | Status | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13-RC-369482 | Representation election | Jul 2025 | Sep 2025 | Closed | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
| 13-UC-367308 | UC | Jun 2025 | Aug 2025 | Closed | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
| 13-CA-365519 | Unfair labor practice | May 2025 | — | Open | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
| 13-RC-344486 | Representation election | Jun 2024 | Jul 2024 | Closed | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
| 13-CA-321417 | Unfair labor practice | Jul 2023 | Jan 2025 | Closed | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
| 13-UC-309525 | UC | Dec 2022 | Feb 2023 | Closed | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
| 13-RC-307313 | Representation election | Nov 2022 | Jan 2023 | Closed | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
| 13-UC-298960 | UC | Jul 2022 | Aug 2022 | Closed | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
| 13-RC-284411 | Representation election | Oct 2021 | Dec 2021 | Closed | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
| 13-CA-207538 | Unfair labor practice | Oct 2017 | Oct 2018 | Closed | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
| 13-CA-206176 | Unfair labor practice | Sep 2017 | Oct 2018 | Closed | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
| 13-RD-192825 | Representation election | Feb 2017 | Mar 2017 | Closed | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
| 13-RC-177943 | Representation election | Jun 2016 | Oct 2018 | Closed | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
| 13-RC-147566 | Representation election | Mar 2015 | May 2015 | Closed | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
| 13-RC-121359 | Representation election | Jan 2014 | Aug 2015 | Closed | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
| 13-CA-066224 | Unfair labor practice | Oct 2011 | Dec 2011 | Closed | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
| 13-RC-022006 | Representation election | Jan 2011 | Mar 2011 | Closed | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
| 13-RC-021547 | Representation election | Sep 2006 | Oct 2006 | Closed | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
| 13-CA-040522 | Unfair labor practice | Sep 2002 | Dec 2002 | Closed | Region 13, Chicago, Illinois |
Source: NLRB case files. Rows shown are those the agency has published. Region numbers (1–31) correspond to NLRB's geographic offices.
Visa & labor certification (OFLC) — historical
No H-1B, H-2A, or H-2B labor condition applications on file (historical data only — DOL ended OFLC publication) for NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY. Verify directly with Office of Foreign Labor Certification →
Environmental compliance (EPA)
No EPA inspections or formal enforcement actions on file for NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY. Verify directly with Environmental Protection Agency →
EPA-registered facilities
Every EPA ECHO facility associated with this employer, sorted most-significant first. Each row links to EPA’s Detailed Facility Report for the source-of-truth record. Permits column lists active programs (Air = Clean Air Act, Water = Clean Water Act, RCRA = hazardous waste, TRI = Toxics Release Inventory reporting). 2 facilities · 2 marked inactive.
| Facility | Permits | Status | Inspections | Formal actions | Penalties | Last inspected | ECHO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 745 FAIRBANKS · CHICAGO, IL, 60611 | RCRA | No Violation Identified | 0 | 0 | — | — | View → |
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY 680 N LAKE SHORE DR · CHICAGO, IL, 60611 | RCRA | No Violation Identified | 0 | 0 | — | — | View → |
Source: EPA ECHO (Enforcement and Compliance History Online). Compliance status follows EPA’s own labels (“Sig Violation” = significant noncompliance; QNCR = quarters of noncompliance over the recent reporting window). Inactive facilities (struck through) retain historical enforcement records even after operations ceased.
Federal contracts
This location
Consolidated across all USAspending recipient entities under this corporate parent — not attributable to this single location.
Federal contract dollars to this establishment. Primary NAICS: 541711 - RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN BIOTECHNOLOGY. Last action: 2017-11-08. Source: USAspending.gov, net obligations. Recipient address is the SAM registration / HQ address, not necessarily the worksite.
Inspection history
| Date | Trigger | Violations | Serious | Penalty | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-16 | Referral | 2 | 2 | $22,698 | |
| 2018-02-02 | Monitoring | 0 | — | $0 | |
| 2002-07-02 | Complaint | 0 | — | $0 | |
| 2001-08-09 | Complaint | 0 | — | $0 | |
| 1999-08-23 | Complaint | 0 | — | $0 | |
| 1993-08-30 | Complaint | 3 | — | $0 |
Source: OSHA IMIS. Citation amounts reflect initially assessed penalties; final amounts after appeal may differ.
In the news
Other employers in this industry and state
Other employers in colleges, universities, and professional schools within IL, ordered by federal enforcement volume:
- AUGUSTANA COLLEGEROCK ISLAND — 4 federal enforcement records
- ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITYCHICAGO — 3 federal enforcement records
- MORAINE VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGEPALOS HILLS — 2 federal enforcement records
- UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGOCHICAGO — 2 federal enforcement records
- COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGOCHICAGO — 2 federal enforcement records
- UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGOCHICAGO — 2 federal enforcement records
- ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYCHICAGO — 2 federal enforcement records
- LOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGOCHICAGO — 2 federal enforcement records
- BRADLEY UNIVERSITYPEORIA — 2 federal enforcement records
- BRADLEY UNIVERSITYPEORIA — 2 federal enforcement records
Related searches
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional SchoolsAll employers in this industry
- Employers in ILState-wide enforcement data
- Colleges, Universities, and in ILIndustry × state cross-filter
About this data
This profile aggregates federal enforcement records on NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY from every major federal compliance and enforcement source. OSHA workplace safety inspections, WHD wage cases, MSHA mine safety, EPA environmental enforcement, NLRB labor relations, OFLC visa/labor certification, FMCSA motor carrier registration, SAM.gov debarments, CMS nursing-home records, BLS industry safety benchmarks, OSHA ITA self-reported injury rates, SEC enforcement and financial disclosures, CPSC and NHTSA recalls.
Establishments are matched across agencies using normalized employer name, state, and ZIP code.
OSHA citations typically appear 3–8 months after the inspection, so very recent enforcement actions may not yet be reflected. Profiles may be incomplete if the establishment operates under multiple legal names or files under variations our entity-matching rules don’t yet cover. To report a missing record or correction, email corrections@fastdol.com.
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Contact sales →Frequently asked
- What is NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY's OSHA violation history?
- NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY has 6 OSHA inspections on record with 5 violations and $22,698 in total penalties.
- How does NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY's safety record compare to its industry?
- NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY operates in the colleges, universities, and professional schools industry. The industry average Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) is 1.5.