Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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BIRMINGHAM, ALA. -- The U.S. Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division has assessed $84,727 in civil money penalties against the operator of a Food Outlet grocery store in Anniston for allowing minors to work in violation of the youth employment provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The Wage and Hour investigation found that young workers routinely cleaned power-driven meat saws. During one cleaning operation, a youth’s hand was lacerated, requiring an overnight hospital stay. Investigators also determined that some minors operated paper balers and worked more than the three hours allowed on school days.

“Operating or cleaning motorized, power-driven equipment is just too dangerous for young workers,” said Oliver Peebles III, assistant district director for Wage and Hour’s Birmingham office. “Restricting work hours and hazardous duties allow minors to gain valuable work experience without jeopardizing their health or school work.”

The assessed penalties, according to Peebles, reflect that the company had previously been investigated for allowing minors to operate hazardous equipment and had agreed to comply with provisions of the FLSA in the future.

Operating power-driven equipment is one of over a dozen occupations or industries deemed by the Secretary of Labor to be too hazardous for workers under the age of 18. The FLSA’s hazardous duty orders identify these jobs and industries. Young workers, for example, are also prohibited from engaging in any roofing operations and operating forklifts or hoisting apparatus.

The FLSA allows 14- and 15-year-olds to work outside school hours, but not later than 7:00 p.m. (9:00 p.m. from June 1 until Labor Day) and for no more than three hours on school days or 18 hours during school weeks. These minors may work up to eight hours on non-school days or 40 hours during non-school weeks.

The Labor Department’s YouthRules! Web site, www.youthrules.dol.gov, is available for employers, young workers and parents to learn about youth employment, the jobs they may perform and the hours they may work. For further information about other requirements of the FLSA, call the department’s toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243), visit the department’s web site at www.wagehour.dol.gov, or contact the Birmingham district office at 955 22nd St. N., Suite 656; phone: (205) 731-1305.

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