A firm doing business as Equus Workforce Solutions allegedly violated child labor provisions of the US Fair Labor Standards Act, the US Department of Labor announced today. The employer paid a $16,795 penalty to resolve the violations.

The firm employed nine minors aged 14 and 15 outside of permitted hours, according to the department.

SIA has reached out to Equus for comment.

Permissible hours for 14- and 15-year-olds are no more than three hours on a school day and a maximum of 18 hours in a school week, according to the department. For non-school days, the youths can work up to eight hours, or 40 hours during a non-school week. Also, work may not begin before 7 a.m. nor end after 7 p.m., except from June 1 through Labor Day, when evening hours are extended to 9 p.m., the department said.

The incidents in this case allegedly occurred at a site in St. Marys, Pennsylvania.

In addition, the department said it found additional child labor violations when the employer allowed a minor to load wood on to the platform of a log splitter and operate and ATV and power-driven weed-trimming tool. The employer also allegedly allowed two minors to operate a pole saw and clean parts of a meat slicer, according to the department. In addition, one minor was permitted to operate a chainsaw and pole saw, which resulted in a non-serious injury.

“Every employer who hires young workers must know when they can and cannot work and what types of jobs they can and cannot safely do,” Wage and Hour Division District Director John DuMont said in a press release.

Equus is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.