US Department of Labor investigation finds Pennsylvania employment service agency Equus Workforce Solutions violated federal child labor laws

Employer name:  Arbor E&T LLC, doing business as Res-Care Workforce Services, doing business as Equus Workforce Solutions

Investigation site:  245 Depot St., St. Marys, Pennsylvania 15857

Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor’s  Wage and Hour Division determined that Res-Care Workforce Services violated the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act when it employed nine minors aged 14 and 15 outside of permitted hours. Permissible hours for 14- and 15-year-olds are no more than 3 hours on a school day, 18 hours in a school week, 8 hours on a non-school day, or 40 hours in a non-school week. Also, work may not begin before 7 a.m., nor end after 7 p.m., except from June 1 through Labor Day, when evening hours are extended to 9 p.m.  

The division found additional child labor violations when the employer permitted a minor to load wood onto the platform of a log splitter and operate an ATV and power-driven weed-eater; allowed two minors to operate a pole saw and clean parts of a meat slicer; and permitted one minor to operate a chain saw and a pole saw, which resulted in a non-serious injury.

Civil Money Penalty: $16,795

Quote: “Every employer who hires young workers must know when they can and cannot work and what types of jobs they can and cannot safely do,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director John DuMont in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “We encourage employers to contact the Wage and Hour Division to ensure they are in compliance with the law.”

Background: Equus Workforce Solutions provides workforce development solutions in North America. Its corporate office is in Louisville, Kentucky.

The YouthRules! initiative promotes positive and safe work experiences for teens by providing information about protections for young workers to youth, parents, employers and educators. Through this initiative, the U.S. Department of Labor and its partners promote developmental work experiences that help prepare young workers to enter the workforce. The Wage and Hour Division has also published Seven Child Labor Best Practices for Employers to help employers comply with the law.