Multiple U.S. Department of Labor investigations into a minor-aged worker’s fingertip amputation in May 2024 found a Meadville manufacturing company violated federal law and exposed employees to a half dozen serious workplace safety violations.
The department’s Wage and Hour Division and Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated metal components manufacturer Fostermation Inc. and determined a 16-year-old suffered a thumb tip amputation while operating a metal forming machine.
“Child labor laws were established to protect minors from workplace dangers. Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of young workers,” said Wage and Hour Division Assistant District Director Catherine Glencoe in Charleston, West Virginia.
OSHA conducted a complaint investigation and another under its National Emphasis Program on Amputations in Manufacturing Industries, and identified amputation and machine-guarding hazards and deficiencies in its lockout/tagout procedures, which prevent machines from accidentally starting.
The company has paid the department $50,192 in civil money penalties for its violations of child labor regulations and $14,700 in a settlement with OSHA to resolve the six serious and one other-than-serious violations found by inspectors.