Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The U.S. Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division has assessed $11,880 in civil money penalties against Morgan’s Ice Inc., Robertsdale, Ala., 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 minors were allowed to work in jobs deemed hazardous for under-age workers. Investigators determined that between May 2003 and August 2004, seven 16-year-old employees were allowed to operate forklifts at the company’s East Silverhill Avenue ice manufacturing and distribution facility. Two of these minors also worked as helpers on delivery trucks in Baldwin and Mobile counties.

“Operating motorized equipment is just too dangerous for young workers,” said James R. Gaut, Wage and Hour’s Montgomery assistant district director. “Restrictions on youth employment are designed to protect young workers and to provide positive work experiences.”

The company cooperated with the Wage and Hour Division and has agreed to employ workers aged 18 or older as forklift operators and delivery truck helpers in the future.

For more information about youth employment laws and jobs prohibited under the Secretary of Labor’s hazardous duty orders, visit the YouthRules! website at www.youthrules.dol.gov.

For information about the FLSA and other laws administered by the Wage and Hour Division, visit www.wagehour.dol.gov; call the department’s toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243); or contact the Montgomery office, Carmichael Center, 4001 Carmichael Rd., Room 215; phone: (334) 223-7641.

The Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have joined with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to raise awareness of the hazards associated with forklift operations.

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