The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) filed a citation in court against a sanitation service provider for child labor law violations, saying the employer hired children to work graveyard shifts cleaning slaughterhouses.

The employer provides cleaning services to slaughterhouses and food processing plants across the country. The DOL began its investigation after receiving a tip from law enforcement. Investigators initially focused on three facilities in Nebraska and Minnesota. The DOL also searched the local offices of the sanitation service provider.

Through documentation and interviews, the DOL found evidence to show that minors, as young as 13, worked as cleaners at the processing plants on "graveyard" shifts. A typical shift was 11:00 p.m. until 4:00 or 5:00 a.m., some working up to five or six days a week. The complaint also says at least three minors suffered chemical burns.

The employer insists its policy does not allow employment for anyone under 18 years of age. Although they do acknowledge "rouge" managers may seek to undermine company policy, they remain "confident" in the effectiveness of their hiring and training policies. Julianne McShane "Food sanitation company accused of emptying at least 31 children on graveyard shifts in slaughterhouses" www.nbcnews.com (Nov. 11, 2022).