Wisconsin sawmill operator agrees to follow federal child labor laws after teen accident death

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U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) officials on Thursday announced penalties for sawmill operator Florence Hardwoods LLC and ordered the company to follow federal child labor laws following a teen’s death at a company mill.

In July, Michael Schuls, 16, died days after he was entangled in a wood stacking machine, The Associated Press reported. State and federal labor agencies investigated whether workplace safety or child labor laws were violated, however Wisconsin law allows teens 16 and older to work in mills like the one Schuls was employed at, AP reported.

Florence Hardwoods was ordered not to hire minors under the age of 16 or else follow strict requirements set by federal labor standards, according to an order signed by a judge. The department also invoked the “hot goods” provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which bars companies from shipping products made while breaking child labor laws.

To lift the objection to shipment of “hot goods,” the company agreed to pay $190,696 in civil penalties. The fee is related to violations for employing four minors 14 and 15 years old to work outside hours permitted by federal labor laws. The DOL’s investigation found seven children between those ages worked outside legal hours.

At the sawmill, three children between the ages of 15 and 16 were injured on November 2021, July 2022 and March 2023, DOL officials said. One child was injured on two separate occasions, officials added.

According to the DOL order, Florence Hardwoods hired nine children, ages 14 to 17, to illegally operate machines such as a chop saw, rip saw and automated lumber processing machines.

The company was ordered to not hire anyone younger than 16 or produce and ship goods made with child labor, according to the DOL order. The company terminated employment for workers 18 and younger and agreed to only hire workers 18 and older.

Accepting the court’s judgement, Florence Hardwoods agreed to take measures to prevent further violations. That includes placing signage, auditing and labeling machinery and providing child labor fact sheets to its employees.

Julie Su, the acting secretary of labor, said the case illustrated the urgency for DOL to use its resources to combat child labor.

“This tragic case illustrates just how vital and urgent it is that the Department of Labor uses every tool at our disposal to combat child labor. Any death of a child is too many. That’s why our Wage and Hour Division and Solicitor’s Office took immediate steps to prevent the sale of ‘hot goods’ and to hold the company accountable for allowing children to perform hazardous and, in this case, deadly jobs. Illegal child labor is a stain on this country and will not be tolerated by this administration or this department,” Su said in a news release.