OLYMPIA, Wash. — An Olympia timber company was fined roughly $115,000 for child labor violations after the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) said a teen was hurt on the job.
The investigation into MVR Timber Cutting Inc. began in May 2024.
L&I said they received a report that a 17-year-old worker fractured his foot jumping from one tree stump to another.
According to L&I’s Child Labor Unit, the injured teen was working as a choker setter. They said his job was to wrap a thick cable around a fallen tree, which is connected to other equipment to lift the tree and carry it to a landing area.
State regulations prohibit teens under 18 from working a job where safety regulations require more extensive personal protective equipment than boots, gloves, and safety glasses. They also can’t work in hard hat zones.
“Logging is an incredibly high-injury industry, and teens under the age of 18 are strictly prohibited by federal and state regulations from working in logging occupations because of that danger,” said Bryan Templeton, Employment Standards program manager.
In January, L&I fined the company for allowing the teen to work in logging operations upwards of 56 times while under the age of 18 and in an environment where a hard hat is required.
State youth employment laws also limit the hours when a teen under the age of 18 can work and how many hours they can work per day and week. L&I said it fined the company for violating hours-of-work regulations for minors, too.
The company has appealed the citation.