Inspection 342134525 OPENED FEB 27, 2017Closed
401 Pheasant Ridge Drive, Watertown, SD 57201 · Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing · OSHA's record · Phone and website on Google Maps
No citations from this inspection.
Benchmark Foam has 6 OSHA inspections on record in South Dakota, the first in 1991.
OSHA's last visit started on Feb 27, 2017 to follow up on an earlier case, in Watertown.
Across those inspections OSHA issued 2 citation items: 2 serious.
OSHA proposed $17,460 in penalties. After settlements and reviews the total is $12,471, down 29%.
Most often, OSHA cited 1910.303, electrical equipment, general requirements (2 items).
For context, across all manufacturing employers the median penalty per cited inspection since 2015 is $4,500. Benchmark Foam averages $12,471 over 1 cited inspection in that time.
1 inspection on this page followed a fatal incident.
Benchmark Foam also files yearly injury logs with OSHA, summarized below.
It reported 1 severe injury to OSHA since 2015.
Want to know if OSHA cites Benchmark Foam again? Add it to a watchlist and we will email you the morning the citation shows up.
Watch this companyInspection history
Inspection 341505980 OPENED MAY 20, 2016Closed
401 Pheasant Ridge Drive, Watertown, SD 57201 · Plastics Material and Resin Manufacturing · OSHA's record · Phone and website on Google Maps
Incident on May 20, 2016 (fatal): Employee is electrocuted after contacting un-insulated elect
At 6:30 a.m. on May 20, 2016, an employee was attempting to cut foam that had expanded out of the mold because they prematurely opened the mold. The foam started to expand and the doors to the machine were not able to be closed. The employee was electrocuted after contacting energized connections on the paddle of the hot wire cutter. The wooden hand paddle of the hot wire cutter had exposed energized connections that the employee contacted. The employee then fell to a lower level outside of the block mold machine.
| Citation and rule | Type | Proposed | Current | Issued | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citation 1, item 1a 29 CFR 1910.303(a) · Electrical equipment, general requirements |
Serious | $8,730 | $12,471 | Sep 26, 2016 | Final |
| Citation 1, item 1b 29 CFR 1910.303(b)(1) · Electrical equipment, general requirements |
Serious | $8,730 | $0 | Sep 26, 2016 | Final |
Inspection 330296286 OPENED MAY 17, 2011Closed
401 Pheasant Ridge Drive, Watertown, SD 57201 · Plastics Material and Resin Manufacturing · OSHA's record · Phone and website on Google Maps
No citations from this inspection.
Inspection 315131144 OPENED JAN 25, 2011Closed
401 Pheasant Ridge Drive, Watertown, SD 57201 · Plastics Material and Resin Manufacturing · OSHA's record · Phone and website on Google Maps
No citations from this inspection.
Inspection 314777947 OPENED OCT 7, 2010Closed
401 Pheasant Ridge Drive, Watertown, SD 57201 · Plastics Material and Resin Manufacturing · OSHA's record · Phone and website on Google Maps
No citations from this inspection.
Inspection 110499399 OPENED AUG 15, 1991Closed
3200 Ninth Avenue Se, Watertown, SD 57201 · OSHA's record · Phone and website on Google Maps
No citations from this inspection.
Injury and illness logs
From the Form 300A summaries employers file with OSHA each year. Rate = recordable cases per 100 full-time workers.
In 2025, the Watertown site logged 5 recordable injuries or illnesses among about 96 workers: 7.4 per 100 full-time workers, against a median of 2.6 for its industry. Those cases cost 53 days away from work.
| Site and year | Workers | Cases | Days-away cases | Rate | Industry median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark Foam Inc Watertown · 2025 | 96 | 5 | 1 | 7.4 | 2.6 |
| Benchmark Foam Watertown · 2022 | 97 | 10 | 0 | 10.2 | 2.6 |
| Benchmark Foam, Inc. Watertown · 2021 | 94 | 8 | 0 | 8.9 | 2.6 |
| Benchmark Foam. Inc. Watertown · 2020 | 91 | 3 | 0 | 4.3 | 2.6 |
Severe injury reports
Employers must report any work-related amputation, in-patient hospitalization or loss of an eye to OSHA within 24 hours. 1 report on file.
Jul 2, 2025, Watertown: Hospitalization · fractures · hip joint(s)
An employee was stacking used cardboard onto a pallet in the shipping and receiving area when he tripped over the scale by the loading dock door. The employee fell to the concrete floor and was hospitalized with a fractured left hip that required surgery.
The rules behind these citations
Current text from the Code of Federal Regulations. Some citations were issued under older wording.
29 CFR 1910.303 · Electrical equipment, general requirements
29 CFR 1910.303(a)
(a) Approval. The conductors and equipment required or permitted by this subpart shall be acceptable only if approved, as defined in § 1910.399.
29 CFR 1910.303(b)(1)
(b) Examination, installation, and use of equipment—(1) Examination. Electric equipment shall be free from recognized hazards that are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees. Safety of equipment shall be determined using the following considerations:
Other plastics material and resin manufacturing employers in South Dakota
- Global Polymer Industries, Inc. Arlington · 7 citations · $6,950
- Fibertec Performance, LLC Woonsocket · 11 citations · $0
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA enforcement data. A citation is OSHA's allegation; employers can contest it, and the status column shows where each item stands. Something wrong on this page? Tell us.