ZIPS CAR WASH

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, ZIPS CAR WASH — a car washes facility located at 1431 CULEBRA ROAD, SAN ANTONIO, TX 78201 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 7 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $48,438.00. The inspection case was opened on 2023-10-31.

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 2.0 per 100 full-time workers — near the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 3.4 per 100,000 workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $48,438.00 is more than 16.9× the national average of $2,870.27 for facilities in the Other Services sector (NAICS 811192). This sector encompasses 29,798 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $85.5M.

State Context: Within TX, this facility's penalty places it at the 99th percentile among 119,485 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,783.80.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 7 citations spanning 5 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 6 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 1 repeat — A substantially similar violation was found during a previous inspection and the original citation has become a final order.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning January 3, 2024 with the latest abatement deadline set for January 23, 2024. Of the 7 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 $48,438.00 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 $6,919.71 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement record for this Zips Car Wash location reveals a hazardous convergence of electrical instability and mechanical guarding failures, signaling a systemic breakdown in fundamental safety management. The presence of a Repeat violation under 1910.212(a)(1) is particularly damning; it demonstrates that management failed to rectify known points of operation or rotating component hazards, exposing workers to preventable amputation or entanglement risks despite prior warnings. This recidivism elevated the penalty for a single machine guarding infraction to over $12,500, a figure significantly higher than the industry average for small-scale automotive services. Furthermore, the concentration of high-gravity Serious violations involving 1910.304 and 1910.305 indicates a pervasive electrical safety crisis. In a high-moisture environment like a car wash, the cited failures in grounding, junction box integrity, and flexible cord usage create a high-probability environment for lethal electrocution or flash fires. The gravity-five ratings for these electrical standards suggest that inspectors found imminent danger levels of non-compliance. When synthesized with the sanitation and walking-working surface violations, the data suggests a reactive maintenance culture that prioritized throughput over the structural integrity of the facility’s safety systems. For EHS professionals, this profile represents a "red flag" facility where the lack of a comprehensive lockout/tagout or electrical preventative maintenance program has transitioned from a technical deficiency to a significant legal and physical liability.