DON QUIJOTE USA CO LTD

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, DON QUIJOTE USA CO LTD — a supermarkets and other grocery retailers (except convenience retailers) facility located at 94-144 FARRINGTON HWY, WAIPAHU, HI 96797 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 4 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $33,150.60. The inspection case was opened on 2019-03-14.

DOL records document workplace safety violations warranting formal citation under the OSH Act. While classified at the standard enforcement level, all OSHA citations require corrective action and may indicate areas where workplace safety programs should be strengthened.

BLS Injury Data: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022), this industry sector has an occupational injury rate of 3.1 per 100 full-time workers — 15% above the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 2.2 per 100,000 workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $33,150.60 is more than 10.3× the national average of $3,207.45 for facilities in the Retail sector (NAICS 445110). This sector encompasses 30,308 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $97.2M.

State Context: Within HI, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 20,956 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $1,502.81.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 4 citations spanning 1 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 4 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning May 24, 2019 with the latest abatement deadline set for July 1, 2019. Of the 4 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 $33,150.60 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 $8,287.65 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement action against Don Quijote USA’s Waipahu facility reveals a breakdown in fundamental safety management systems rather than isolated technical lapses. The citation of multiple violations under Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) standard 12-60-2 indicates a systemic failure to implement an effective Safety and Health Program. For workers, this meant navigating a retail environment where hazards were neither systematically identified through regular inspections nor mitigated through structured employee training. The inclusion of a walking-working surfaces violation (1910.22(a)(3)) suggests that physical maintenance and housekeeping were neglected, creating immediate trip-and-fall risks in a high-traffic grocery setting. The total penalty of $33,150.60 is notably high for a NAICS 445110 establishment, where citations often involve lower-tier administrative errors. The gravity-ten ratings assigned to the programmatic violations signal that HIOSH inspectors viewed the absence of a safety culture as a high-probability precursor to serious injury. By focusing on the employer’s failure to provide adequate safety instructions and hazard assessments