Advertisement New Orleans restaurant pays over $50,000 in penalties for violating child labor laws Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A New Orleans restaurant has paid over $55,000 in penalties for violating multiple child labor law provisions, according to the Department of Labor. After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, Jacques-Imo Café has paid $55,288 in civil money penalties for violating multiple child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.WHD investigators found the restaurant violated child labor provisions by employing a 13-year-old, which is below the minimum employment age of 14 years. According to the Department of Labor, the minor suffered third-degree burns over more than a third of his body when he tripped and fell as he carried hot oil that he had emptied from the kitchen's deep fryer. The FLSA prohibits minor employees from cleaning fryers when the oil temperature exceeds 100 degrees. The investigation also found that this minor, along with a 15-year-old employee, worked beyond the hours permitted for employees less than 16 years old. According to the Department of Labor's report, the minors worked past the evening hour limit of 7 p.m. during the school year or 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day, when they worked as late as 1 a.m. The minors also worked more than 40 hours per week, more than eight hours on a non-school day, and more than three hours on a day when school is in session, all in violation of the law, according to the report."The child labor provisions of the FLSA ensure minors gain a positive work experience that does not hinder their education and well-being," said Troy Mouton, Wage and Hour Division district director. "Companies can avoid child labor violations, penalties and injuries by understanding and abiding by the FLSA's child labor provisions. We encourage employers to reach out to us with any questions and to take advantage of the many tools available to them to help them comply with the law."Children under 14 who are covered by the FLSA may not be employed in nonagricultural occupations. Youth under 18 are prohibited from operating, setting up, adjusting, repairing, oiling or cleaning machines deemed hazardous by the Secretary of Labor. Youth ages 14 and 15 may be employed outside school hours in a variety of nonmanufacturing and nonhazardous jobs for limited periods of time and under specified conditions. Employers who discover overtime or minimum wage violations may self-report and resolve those violations without litigation through the PAID program. For more information about the FLSA and other laws enforced by the division, contact the toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information is also available at www.dol.gov/whd including a search tool for workers who may be owed back wages collected by WHD.