Sawmill pays $84K for hiring and endangering children at Tennessee facility
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has discovered that Plateau Sawmill LLC has been violating federal child labor regulations. The Clarkrange, Tennessee, lumber producer had employed two children – as young as 14 years old – to unload wooden boards from a conveyor belt. A 13-year-old child was also employed at the sawmill, and all three children worked as early as 6 a.m. The plant’s labor practices violated the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLA), as well as the FLA’s minimum age standard.
The DOL obtained a federal consent decree requiring Plateau Sawmill to pay $73,847 in civil money penalties, as well as surrender $10,000 in profits earned between May 26 and June 26, 2024. Additionally, the sawmill will:
- Identify equipment deemed hazardous by the FLSA and add warning stickers so no one under 18 attempts to operate it
- Review and enhance existing policies and training materials related to compliance with federal child labor regulations
- Permit the sawmill to be inspected without warning for five years
- Discipline managers who violate child labor regulations
What people are saying
In a recent quote, Wage and Hour Regional Administrator Juan Coria said, “Federal labor laws protect children from being employed in dangerous jobs. By employing minors to do hazardous work, Plateau Sawmill put children at risk of serious harm or worse. Once we learned of the employer’s violations, the Department of Labor acted immediately to hold the company accountable for failing to protect these children.”
Regional Solicitor Tremelle Howard added, “This consent decree holds Plateau Sawmill accountable while also discouraging future violations. We’ve seen an alarming rise of child labor violations in recent years across the nation. The action announced today sends a clear message that we will not tolerate companies profiting on the backs of children employed unlawfully in dangerous occupations.”
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