AEKO KULA INC

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, AEKO KULA INC — a freight transportation arrangement facility located at 1 GENERAL LYMAN FIELD OPERATIONS RD, HILO, HI 96720 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 13 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $19,854.00. The inspection case was opened on 2015-06-04.

The volume of citations issued during this inspection suggests systematic compliance deficiencies rather than isolated incidents. Facilities with 10 or more citations typically face comprehensive abatement requirements and may be subject to follow-up inspections.

BLS Injury Data: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022), this industry sector has an occupational injury rate of 4.6 per 100 full-time workers — 70% above the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 14.0 per 100,000 workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $19,854.00 is more than 4.7× the national average of $4,244.13 for facilities in the Transportation sector (NAICS 488510). This sector encompasses 17,047 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $72.3M.

State Context: Within HI, this facility's penalty places it at the 99th percentile among 20,956 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $1,502.81.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 13 citations spanning 7 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 9 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 4 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning July 27, 2015 with the latest abatement deadline set for August 29, 2015. Of the 13 total citations, 0 (0%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, which may indicate ongoing compliance gaps requiring further regulatory attention.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $19,854.00 reflects OSHA's gravity-based penalty calculation methodology, which considers the severity of potential injury, the probability of occurrence, the employer's size, good faith, and violation history. The per-citation average of $1,527.23 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement profile for Aeko Kula Inc. reveals a pervasive breakdown in fundamental safety management systems