Washington — A pair of House Democrats are requesting a Department of Labor investigation into potential dangers of child labor and occupational security and well being violations in youth workforce applications.
In a letter despatched July 11 to appearing Labor Secretary Julie Su, Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA), rating member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, and Alma Adams (D-NC), rating member of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, spotlight two incidents that occurred this yr.
“In January, it was reported that a 16-year-old lost both of his legs while participating in a work-based learning program at a construction company after using hazardous equipment,” a July 18 press launch from Education and the Workforce Committee Democrats states. “In February, a nationwide contracting firm paired 14- and 15-year-old children with a local employer who allowed them to work outside of permissible hours and assigned them to operate machinery in violation of the department’s hazardous occupation rules.”
The teen employees had been taking part in applications approved by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the Work Experience and Career Explorations Program.
Scott and Adams pose a set of inquiries to DOL and are searching for solutions by Aug. 12. The questions:
- Do present DOL information collections allow DOL to determine accidents, diseases, fatalities or oppressive child labor violations in WIOA-funded workforce applications for younger folks underneath age 18, or WECEPs?
- How does DOL conduct oversight of WIOA implementation to make sure the protection and well-being of youngsters taking part in WIOA-funded applications?
“The purpose of these programs is to expose children ages 14 and older to work experiences where they can gain valuable in-demand skills,” Scott stated within the launch, “but two recent cases have highlighted the possibility that children participating in them could be exposed to child labor and occupational safety and health violations.”
