Lawmakers call for DOL investigation into child labor violations

Washington — A pair of House Democrats are requesting a Department of Labor investigation into potential risks of child labor and occupational safety and health violations in youth workforce programs.

In a letter sent July 11 to acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, and Alma Adams (D-NC), ranking member of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, highlight two incidents that occurred this year.

“In January, it was reported that a 16-year-old lost both of his legs while participating in a work-based learning program at a construction company after using hazardous equipment,” a July 18 press release from Education and the Workforce Committee Democrats states. “In February, a nationwide contracting firm paired 14- and 15-year-old children with a local employer who allowed them to work outside of permissible hours and assigned them to operate machinery in violation of the department’s hazardous occupation rules.”

The teen workers were participating in programs authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the Work Experience and Career Explorations Program.

Scott and Adams pose a set of questions to DOL and are seeking answers by Aug. 12. The questions:

• Do existing DOL data collections enable DOL to identify injuries, illnesses, fatalities or oppressive child labor violations in WIOA-funded workforce programs for young people under age 18, or WECEPs?
• How does DOL conduct oversight of WIOA implementation to ensure the safety and well-being of children participating in WIOA-funded programs?

“The purpose of these programs is to expose children ages 14 and older to work experiences where they can gain valuable in-demand skills,” Scott said in the release, “but two recent cases have highlighted the possibility that children participating in them could be exposed to child labor and occupational safety and health violations.”