Sawmill pays $84K for hiring and endangering children at Tennessee facility
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has discovered that Plateau Sawmill LLC has been violating federal child labor regulations. The Clarkrange, Tennessee, lumber producer had employed two children – as young as 14 years old – to unload wooden boards from a conveyor belt. A 13-year-old child was also employed at the sawmill, and all three children worked as early as 6 a.m. The plant’s labor practices violated the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLA), as well as the FLA’s minimum age standard.
The DOL obtained a federal consent decree requiring Plateau Sawmill to pay $73,847 in civil money penalties, as well as surrender $10,000 in profits earned between May 26 and June 26, 2024. Additionally, the sawmill will:
- Identify equipment deemed hazardous by the FLSA and add warning stickers so no one under 18 attempts to operate it
- Review and enhance existing policies and training materials related to compliance with federal child labor regulations
- Permit the sawmill to be inspected without warning for five years
- Discipline managers who violate child labor regulations
What people are saying
In a recent quote, Wage and Hour Regional Administrator Juan Coria said, “Federal labor laws protect children from being employed in dangerous jobs. By employing minors to do hazardous work, Plateau Sawmill put children at risk of serious harm or worse. Once we learned of the employer’s violations, the Department of Labor acted immediately to hold the company accountable for failing to protect these children.”
Regional Solicitor Tremelle Howard added, “This consent decree holds Plateau Sawmill accountable while also discouraging future violations. We’ve seen an alarming rise of child labor violations in recent years across the nation. The action announced today sends a clear message that we will not tolerate companies profiting on the backs of children employed unlawfully in dangerous occupations.”
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About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
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