Packers Sanitation Services Inc, one of the largest food sanitation companies in the United States, has been fined $1.5 million for violating child labor laws. The company was found to have 102 minors between the ages of 13 – 17 working in hazardous conditions and taking the overnight shift. 27 minors were employed at a plant in Nebraska, 26 in Kansas, and 22 in Minnesota. Other facilities are located in Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, Colorado, and Indiana.
From The Blaze:
The children worked with hazardous chemicals and cleaned dangerous meat processing equipment, such as back saws, brisket saws, and head splitters. According to the DOL’s investigators, at least three children suffered injuries while on the job. ... “The child labor violations in this case were systemic and reached across eight states, and clearly indicate a corporate-wide failure by Packers Sanitation Services at all levels,” stated principal deputy administrator of the Wage and Hour Division Jessica Looman. “These children should never have been employed in meat packing plants, and this can only happen when employers do not take responsibility to prevent child labor violations from occurring in the first place,” Looman added.
