A McDonald’s franchisee in Kentucky employed two 10-year-old children in violation of federal labor laws, the Department of Labor said Tuesday.
Bauer Food, LLC, a Louisville-based operator of 10 McDonald’s franchise locations across two states, employed the children, the DOL said in a news release.
Officials said the children were not paid, yet sometimes worked as late as 2 a.m. and they “prepared and distributed food orders, cleaned the store, worked at the drive-thru window and operated a register.” Investigators learned that “one of the two children was allowed to operate a deep fryer, a prohibited task for workers under 16 years old.”
In June of 2022, a 15-year-old worker at a Tennessee McDonald’s franchise suffered hot oil burns while using a deep fryer, according to the agency. Fourteen and 15-year-olds are permitted to cook with deep fryers under federal regulations, but only ones equipped with automatic baskets.
“One child injured at work is one too many,” Wage and Hour Division District Director Karen Garnett-Civils in Louisville, Kentucky said in the Tuesday press release. “Child labor laws exist to ensure that when young people work, the job does not jeopardize their health, well-being or education.”
The employment of the 10-year-old children wasn’t the only violation DOL investigators found. The Wages and Hour Division of DOL found Bauer Food, LLC employed 24 minors under the age of 16 to work more than legally permitted hours. The DOL assessed nearly $40,000...
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