SOUTH AMERICAN RESTAURANTS CORP DBA CHURCH CHICKEN

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, SOUTH AMERICAN RESTAURANTS CORP DBA CHURCH CHICKEN — a food services facility located at CARR 156 LAS CATALINAS MALL, CAGUAS, PR 00725 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 17 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $24,500.00. The inspection case was opened on 2012-03-20.

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 3.6 per 100 full-time workers — 33% above the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 1.3 per 100,000 workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $24,500.00 is more than 8.8× the national average of $2,782.05 for facilities in the Food Services sector (NAICS 722110). This sector encompasses 22,815 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $63.5M.

State Context: Within PR, this facility's penalty places it at the 100th percentile among 29,311 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $1,322.38.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 17 citations spanning 11 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 8 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 7 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 June 14, 2012 with the latest abatement deadline set for July 10, 2012. Of the 17 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 $24,500.00 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 $1,441.18 falls within the standard penalty range.

The inspection of this Church’s Chicken franchise revealed a pervasive breakdown in fundamental safety management, evidenced by