OSHA levies $1.4M fine in death of teen worker at lumber mill

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4. Northern Wisconsin sawmill fires back at federal officials over safety practices

Northern Wisconsin sawmill fires back at federal officials over safety practices

Company says it was 'mischaracterized' by the U.S. Labor Department following major fine

By Joe Schulz
Published: Thursday, December 21, 2023, 5:00pmFriday, December 22, 2023, 12:55pm

A northern Wisconsin sawmill is pushing back against the U.S. Labor Department’s characterization of its safety practices following the death of a 16-year-old employee, contending some teens were working at the mill through school apprenticeship programs. ... Florence Hardwoods was fined almost $1.4 million by the Department of Labor for workplace safety violations earlier this week. That’s after a federal court in September ordered the company to pay nearly $200,000 in penalties for child labor law violations.

The penalties stemmed from federal investigations into the accident that led to the death of 16-year-old Michael Schuls this summer. According to federal officials, Schuls became trapped in a stick stacker machine as he tried to unjam it on June 29. He died at a local hospital two days later.

This week’s penalties were the result of an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the fines in September were the result of an investigation by the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division. Federal officials said the company terminated all of its underage employees following Schuls’ death.

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State Deparment of Workforce Development weighs-in

In a statement, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Communications Director John Dipko said Schuls did not have a work permit at the time of the accident in June, as he was 16 and the state previously waived the requirement for 16- and 17-year-olds to have work permits. Schuls was issued a work permit in 2021, but it expired when he turned 16. ... Dipko said the Northwoods Youth Apprenticeship Consortium had coordinated apprenticeship placements at Florence Hardwoods during the 2022-23 school year. But he said the state agency directed the consortium to suspend those placements on July 7, after Schuls' death.

The Department of Workforce Development's Equal Rights Division agrees with the federal court order that required Florence Hardwoods to comply with child labor laws, Dipko said.

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