DUNDEE, Ohio — An Ohio lathe mill has paid an enhanced child labor enforcement penalty of $22,093 after federal investigators found the company employed a 15-year-old worker illegally in a hazardous occupation – the operation of a sawmill – which led the worker to suffer injury when he became entangled in the gears of a powered wood processing machine.

Federal child labor laws, enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, forbid minors under age 18 from employment in hazardous occupations.  

In addition to the hazardous occupation violation, division investigators learned Walnut Creek Lumber in Dundee employed four minors under the age of 16 outside the hours allowed by the Fair Labor Standards Act. The division determined the teens worked before 7 a.m., more than 8 hours on non-school days and more than 40 hours during non-school work.

The mill employed the teens to move and stack wood pieces for processing.

Federal child labor laws protect children under age 18 from being employed in occupations the Secretary of Labor finds particularly hazardous. 

“No child should ever be exposed to dangerous workplace machinery. Employers must verify that the minors they employ are working in compliance with child labor provisions for hours worked and duties assigned,” said Matthew Utley, Wage and Hour Division District Director.   

In addition to the child labor infractions, the division found Walnut Creek mill owed two adult drivers $679 in overtime back wages.