Charleston trampoline park pays $11K penalty after allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to work outside legally permitted hours

Employer:  SC1 Summit LLC – operating as Summit Adventure Park Charleston

Investigation site: 1964 Ashley River Road, Charleston, SC 29407

Investigation findings: U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigators found the employer – a children’s trampoline park – allowed 30 minor-aged employees to work outside of federally permitted work hours. Summit Adventure Park Charleston allowed 14- and 15-year-old workers to work more than 18 hours in a school week and after 7 p.m. while school was in session, both violations of the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Civil Money Penalties Assessed: The agency assessed a $11,010 civil penalty to address the child labor violations.                                               

Quote: “Employers must familiarize themselves with the requirements that come with hiring minor employees. These laws exist to protect young workers and ensure their educational opportunities are not interfered with,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Jamie Benefiel in Columbia, South Carolina. “We encourage employers to access our Youthrules.gov website or contact the Wage and Hour Division to learn how to navigate working hours for minor-aged employees and uphold their obligations under the law when they choose to hire them.”

Background: Employers can contact the Wage and Hour Division at its toll-free number, 1-866-4-US-WAGE. Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including information about protections for young workers on the department’s YouthRules! website. Workers can call the Wage and Hour Division confidentially with questions – regardless of their immigration status – and the department can speak with callers in more than 200 languages. Workers and employers alike can help ensure hours worked and pay are accurate by downloading the department’s Android Timesheet App for free.