Peruvian authorities, on Thursday, charged a local McDonald's franchise owner, with a fine of 845,760 soles (approx. $250,000), after two of its employees were electrocuted to death. Upon investigation, authorities found six violations and the owner company was fined accordingly.
McDonald's workers electrocuted to death
The incident took place on December 15 at a McDonald's outlet in Pueblo Libre, in the Peruvian province of Lima. Two workers, a man and a woman were cleaning the kitchen. The woman worker Alexandra Porras (18), while handling the soda machine, suffered an electric shock. When her co-worker, 19-year-old Carlos Campo, came to her rescue, he was also electrocuted in the process. According to their families, the victims were a couple and were working at the restaurant, for several months.
On December 21, Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc, the company that owned the McDonald's franchise, confirmed that a faulty soda machine had led to the electrocution of its two employees.
Violations and penalty
Upon investigation, authorities found that the company was in violation of six guidelines. "We have found six very serious infractions", said Juan Carlos Requejo, head of the National Superintendency of Labor Inspection (Sunafil). Two of the infractions are not communicating the deaths in a timely manner and failure to provide safe working conditions, in terms of both the facilities and the equipment used, "specifically the soft drink dispensing machine".
The authorities said that the company had known about the faulty soda machines, AFP reported. Consequently, the National Superintendency of Labor Inspection (Sunafil), has fined Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc with 845,760 soles (approx. $250,000).
Arcos Dorados Holdings Inc is McDonald's largest operator in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is the world's largest operator of McDonald's restaurants and owns approx. 6.7 percent of its outlets, globally. All 29 McDonald's restaurants in Peru are owned by this company, which had said last week that McDonald's stores in Peru would remain closed until it finished its own investigation into what happened.
