A janitorial company has been fined $649,000 by the United States Department of Labor for hiring minors to work in dangerous jobs cleaning slaughterhouses. The investigation revealed that Fayette Janitorial Service had employed at least 24 children, some as young as 13, for overnight shifts at two separate slaughter facilities.
Federal labor laws prohibit children from certain tasks in slaughtering and meat packaging plants, such as using or cleaning machinery, due to the hazardous conditions involved. In response to the findings, Fayette has been ordered to pay the fine and hire a third party to prevent future instances of child labor. They are also required to establish a reporting mechanism for concerns related to the employment of children.
