Washington Timber Company Fined $114K for Child Labor Violations

A Washington timber company was fined $114,300 for reportedly violating state and federal child labor regulations.

The violations involve a 17-year-old worker, who was reportedly injured while working on one of MVR Timber Cutting Company’s logging operations.

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries launched an investigation in May 2024 after it was reported that the 17-year-old was nursing a foot fracture after jumping on one tree stump to another.

Originally employed to work with the logging crew, the teen was reportedly engaged in hazardous activities that included high-risk logging activities, which are a violation of the state youth labor laws. Federal and state regulations prohibit minors from engaging in dangerous work.

The violation resulted in a $56,000 fine for MVR Timber. The company was fined an additional $56,000 for allowing the minor to work in hazardous zones 56 times. State youth employment laws limit the number of hours minors can work. This violation resulted in a $2,300 fine for unethical work hours.

MVR Timber has appealed the fines. The employer reportedly stated that the injured minor had been working as a choker setter, which entails wrapping a cable around a fallen tree. The cable is then used to move and lift the tree.