Peru: McDonald's Shuts for Inspection After Employee Deaths

All 29 McDonald's locations in Peru will remain closed until its local operator, the Arcos Dorados company, completes security and safety inspections to avoid new workplace accidents like the one that happened on Sunday when two teenaged employees died by electrocution.

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Alexandra Porras and Carlos Campos were electrocuted while cleaning the kitchen at a McDonald's in Puerto Libre, in Lima. Despite the seriousness of this case, the company prevented access to firefighters and did not deliver security camera recordings until Monday, as outlet El Pais reported.

Moreover, the lawyer of one of the deceased reported that the administrators asked other workers to modify their version of what happened.

The McDonald's franchise in Peru is controlled by Arcos Dorados, which operates in 20 Latin American countries, where it manages some 2,200 fast-food restaurants and employs over 90,000 people.

Unfortunately, however, the death of these two teenagers is not an exceptional incident in this South American country. On average, two workers have died every three days since the beginning of the year, according to the Labor Ministry's data.

"EXPLOITATION. The recent death of 2 young workers at McDonald's brought unionists and students to the streets in Lima to protest against the labor reform which President Vizcarra intends to impose in Peru to eliminate labor rights." The meme reads, “Students and workers against labor reform. Hundreds of workers, trade unionists, college students, school students, feminists, and activists went out to protest.”

The Porras family' lawyer, Elizabeth Carmona, reported that when she arrived at the fast-food restaurant she could see exposed light wires.

She also said that a former worker from the same establishment denounced the administrators for making him work in an unsafe environment and was fired. The company, however, denied that those cables had any connection with electrocution deaths.

The incident spurred protests against McDonald's and claims on social media, by people who said they had worked for the chain, of unsafe working conditions, low wages, and unpaid work.

After the citizens' demonstrations, Peru's President Martin Vizcarra vowed that he will seek to strengthen laws to take "concrete action" against companies involved in workplace accidents.