Despite federal regulations barring young workers from operating dangerous machinery, the management of  Wisconsin sawmill Florence Hardwoods allowed several minors workers to perform maintenance on equipment without training or following required safety procedures, reports OSHA.

On June 29, 2023, a 16-year-old worker became trapped in a stick stacker machine as he tried to unjam it. The young worker remained trapped until he was found and freed, and then transported to the hospital where he passed away two days later. 

“There is no excuse for allowing underage workers to operate this type of machinery,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “Federal child labor and safety regulations exist to prevent employers from putting children at risk. They also exist to hold employers like Florence Hardwoods accountable for endangering these young workers.” 

Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined Florence Hardwoods LLC failed to train teenage and adult workers in safety procedures to prevent dangerous equipment from moving during service and maintenance tasks. OSHA found minors exposed to these dangerous hazards which immediately led to an investigation by the department’s Wage and Hour Division. The day after the teen’s death, the mill’s operator terminated all of the children’s jobs.

Investigators also found fall, machine guarding and electrical hazard violations at the Florence sawmill, similar to infractions they were cited for in 2020. 

Since 2019, at least five employees of Florence Hardwoods, Sagola Hardwoods and Minerick Logging have suffered serious injuries due to lockout failures, including a fatality at Minerick Logging where a worker suffered fatal injuries while servicing a trailer in 2019. 

“It is incomprehensible how the owners of this company could have such disregard for the safety of these children,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Douglas Parker. “Their reckless and illegal behavior tragically cost a boy his life, and actions such as theirs will never be tolerated.”

The agency cited the company for eight willful, six repeat, 29 serious and four other-than-serious violations of federal safety and health regulations. OSHA categorized five of the willful citations as egregious – the most serious violations the agency issues. The agency has proposed nearly $1.4 million in penalties for Florence Hardwoods and placed the company in the agency’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program.