As part of its ongoing initiative to ensure child labor safety, the U.S. Department of Labor has cited a 32-store mainland supermarket chain, a retail mall, and a retail store for violating the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The establishments were cited for allowing underage workers to operate power-driven paper product machines, including scrap paper balers and paper box compactors and power-driven hoisting apparatuses or forklifts. In addition, the retail store failed to display a minimum wage poster as required by the FLSA. The companies have been assessed penalties totaling more than $80,000.

The FLSA prohibits the employment of people under the age of 18 years in any nonagricultural occupations that the Labor Department has declared to be hazardous. Hazardous Occupations Order Number 12 prohibits individuals less than 18 years of age from loading, operating and unloading certain power-driven paper processing machines, including scrap paper balers, paper box compactors, guillotine paper cutters or shears, platen printing presses and envelope die-cutting presses. Minors may not work more than three hours on school days, eight hours on nonschool days, 18 hours in school weeks or 40 hours during nonschool weeks. The regulations detail that 14- and 15-year-olds may work during non-school hours, but no later than 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 until Labor Day).