Tienda Y Carniceria La Unica 2 Inc. – a supermarket based in Jonesboro, Georgia – has paid a civil penalty of $47,115 after a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation found the employer allowed a 16-year-old minor employee to use a power-driven meat-slicing machine in violation of federal law. The minor suffered the amputation of one finger and severe injury to another.
 
WHD found the employer violated the Fair Labor Standards Act’s Child Labor Requirements by employing the teen to use equipment prohibited for use by workers less than 18 years old. Investigators also determined that the employer failed to maintain required time and payroll records, resulting in recordkeeping violations.
 
“The safety of young workers remains a priority for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. Employers have a responsibility to fully understand and comply with the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act to ensure minors work in a safe environment,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Eric Williams, in Atlanta, Georgia. “We encourage employers to review child labor laws, when employing minors, and to contact us for assistance. Violations and injuries like those in this case can be avoided.”