Illegal Child Labor: Kids as Young as 12 Operate Forklift at Kentucky Warehouse
The Department of Labor has ordered a warehouse in Kentucky to cease employing children after an investigation revealed that Win.IT America Inc. had employed two children, ages 11 and 13, for several months. One child operated a forklift, which is prohibited for individuals under 18, while the other engaged in order picking, a prohibited occupation for workers under 16. The company was fined over $30,000 and instructed to hire a third-party consultant for compliance training. Child labor violations in the US have increased by 60% over the past five years, with nearly 4,000 children affected in the 2022 fiscal year.