JONESBORO, Ga. — A Jonesboro-based supermarket will pay a federal fine of more than $47,000 after a 16-year-old employee cut off one of his fingers when they let him use a meat slicer.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the teenager also severely injured another finger in the incident.
The Department of Labor announced the civil penalty on Friday for Tienda Y Carniceria La Unica 2 Inc. after an investigation by the agency’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) found the supermarket violated federal child labor requirements.
According to the department, Tienda Y Carniceria La Unica 2 employed the teen to “use equipment prohibited for use by workers less than 18 years old.”
The government also cited the company for recordkeeping violations.
“The safety of young workers remains a priority for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division,” the Atlanta director for the division, Eric Williams, said in a statement. “Employers have a responsibility to fully understand and comply with the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act to ensure minors work in a safe environment.”
Williams added that “violations and injuries like those in this case can be avoided.”
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