O'REILLY AUTOMOTIVE STORES, INC.
According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, O'REILLY AUTOMOTIVE STORES, INC. — a retail trade facility located at 4715 AIRPORT RD, SANTA FE, NM 87507 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 5 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $217,071.00. The inspection case was opened on 2021-05-28.
This facility represents one of the most severe enforcement actions in the OSHA SVEP database. Willful violations combined with penalties exceeding $100,000 indicate a pattern of deliberate non-compliance that poses an imminent danger to workers.
Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $217,071.00 is more than 67.7× the national average of $3,207.45 for facilities in the Retail sector (NAICS 441310). This sector encompasses 30,308 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $97.2M.
State Context: Within NM, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 8,892 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $1,937.30.
Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 5 citations spanning 2 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 2 willful — The employer intentionally and knowingly committed the violation, demonstrating either an intentional disregard for the requirements of the OSH Act or plain indifference to employee safety and health. 2 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm. 1 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 December 29, 2020 with the latest abatement deadline set for November 10, 2021. Of the 5 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 per-citation average of $43,414.20 exceeds OSHA's FY2024 statutory maximum of $16,131 for serious violations, indicating the presence of willful or repeat classifications that carry enhanced penalty authority under Section 17 of the OSH Act.
The enforcement action against this O’Reilly Automotive Stores location reveals a profound breakdown in fundamental safety management, characterized by a rare and aggressive application of the General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1)). The assessment of two separate Willful violations, carrying a combined penalty exceeding $200,000, signifies that management demonstrated either an intentional disregard for employee safety or plain indifference to known hazards. In the retail automotive sector, such high-gravity citations typically point to severe ergonomic stressors, workplace violence risks, or heat-related illnesses that the employer failed to address despite having clear knowledge of the danger. The presence of serious and willful General Duty violations suggests a systemic failure to implement a recognizable safety program, rather than an isolated mechanical or technical lapse. Furthermore, the inclusion of regulatory citations for failing to maintain injury logs (1904.29) and failing to report a hospitalization or amputation (1904.39) points to a deliberate attempt to obscure the facility’s actual injury rates. This pattern—combining a lack of hazard mitigation with the failure to report incidents—indicates a corporate culture that prioritized operational continuity over transparency and worker protection. The penalty total is exceptionally high for NAICS 441310, placing this facility in a high-risk enforcement category that likely triggered enhanced oversight across the region.