MI Meat Processor Fined After Minor Loses Hand in Accident
A man from Ionia County has been ordered to pay fines as a consequence of an incident where a young worker lost his hand in a meat grinder. Darin Wilbur, aged 55, has been directed to pay $1,143 following his guilty plea for employing a minor in a high-risk profession. The minor, a 17-year-old, suffered the loss of his right hand while employed at US Guys Processing in November 2019.
While under the supervision of Wilbur, who is the owner of the company, the teenager was operating a meat grinder. Unfortunately, his hand got caught in the machinery, leading to its amputation. Following a referral, the Michigan Wage and Hour Division conducted an investigation into the incident. The investigation revealed that the teenager was illegally employed. He was too young to legally work in a hazardous environment.
Hiring minors without proper permits
Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a statement, urging the state legislature to review the fines imposed for hiring minors without proper permits. She also called for a reassessment of the existing state regulations. Those that concern the employment of minors in dangerous conditions, which is currently categorized as a misdemeanor offense.
“Our labor laws were written to protect children from dangerous workplaces; however, they lack the teeth needed to properly hold bad employers accountable for violations,” said Nessel at the time of Wilbur’s plea.
In a separate incident reported by USA Today, there was a tragedy involving a minor in Mississippi who lost their life at a poultry plant. The individual, who was engaged in sanitation operations, sustained fatal injuries in the accident that occurred last month.
Officials are looking into how a 16-year-old was able to work at the Mar-Jac Poultry plant. By federal law, minors are barred from working at meat and poultry plants. This is due to the Department of Labor declaring these types of jobs as “particularly hazardous” or “detrimental to their health or well-being.”