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Dive brief:
- The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries fined a Vancouver, Wash., construction company the maximum penalty, $156,259, after a 16-year-old had to both legs amputated of workplace injuries, the department said in a news release issued Tuesday.
- The teenager was operating a trench when he was swept under the blade, and suffered serious injuries that eventually led to a double leg amputation, the statement said. Rotschy Inc. allegedly allowed him to use the machine without proper supervision or safeguards, the department alleged. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
- “This tragedy should never have happened, and this young man’s life will never be the same,” said Craig Blackwood, deputy director of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health at the state Department of Labor and Industries. Washington, in a statement. “Employers with young workers should take care of our children as they would their own. When they fail to protect a young worker, it’s a violation of the community’s trust.”
Diving knowledge:
Washington’s youth employment laws specify which duties are prohibited for workers under the age of 18. Although Rotschy had a student learner’s permit exemption that allowed minors to do some normally prohibited work, the trench operation was not included, the department said.
The teenager was working with the company as part of a work-based learning program that allowed students to earn credit while gaining work experience. The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries suspended Rotschy’s exemption after the incident and ordered the company to cease work, according to the statement.
The company was fined for allowing an employee to use the equipment without proper training and experience, the department said. Rotschy could face additional fines and restrictions after further investigation by the department’s Youth Employment Safety Unit.
The department’s health and safety division subpoenaed Rotschy in December, and the company appealed, the statement said.
