Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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Baltimore, Md. -- The U.S. Department of Labor has fined Gunther Refuse Service, Inc., of Hanover, Md., $68,760 for allowing minors to work in violation of the youth employment provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The company provides refuse service for residents of Anne Arundel County.

The department's Wage and Hour Division initiated an investigation in response to a referral from the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Unit of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation after a worker's wrist was crushed in a refuse truck compactor.

Investigators found that from June 2002 through June 2004, 10 minors were employed as outside helpers and throwers, assisting with the transportation of refuse. The investigation also revealed that another minor working as a helper/thrower sustained permanent injuries after he was trapped between a truck and a tree.

"The FLSA specifically states that minors cannot be employed in jobs that require driving a motor vehicle or being an outside helper on a motor vehicle," said Corlis Sellers, regional administrator of the Wage and Hour Division's Northeast Region. "These accidents could have been avoided had the company followed the law."

Gunther Refuse also was cited for not maintaining an accurate record of the hours that refuse truck drivers and throwers worked.

Under federal provisions, jobs that require operating paper balers, meat slicers, dough mixers and wood working machines, as well as most driving jobs, are designated as too dangerous for workers under age 18.

Hours also are restricted for workers under age 16. During school months, work hours are limited to after 7 a.m. and before 7 p.m., with limits of three hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week. During the summer, they may work eight hours a day, 40 hours a week and until 9 p.m.

In May 2002, Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao launched YouthRules!, a public awareness campaign to educate young workers, parents and employers about the jobs that young people can do and hours they can work. Information about the campaign and the youth employment provisions are available on the Internet at http://youthrules.dol.gov. For additional information about the FLSA provisions, call the Department of Labor's toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE or visit www.wagehour.dol.gov.

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