A major sanitation services firm is under investigation by the US Department of Labor over their supposed employment of children in cleaning jobs at meatpacking plants. Packers Sanitation Services Inc. (PSSI). PSSI is denying the allegations that it violated child labour laws.
After receiving a tip-off, the Department of Labor conducted investigations in September and October, into client companies of PSSI.
Investigators allegedly found 31 minors aged 13-17 working at multiple locations of the meatpacking chains JBS USA and Turkey Valley Farms, both of which outsource sanitation services to PSSI. The DOL has also accused PSSI of trying to ‘thwart’ their inquiry, with investigators being stopped from taking photos or videos inside plants, and supervisors attempting to delete documents off computers before handing them over.
The stories that have come out of the DOL investigation and subsequent court hearings are horrifying.
Several children reported suffering severe caustic burns from the chemical cleaners they worked with. One such 14-year-old employee, who worked night shifts from 11pm-5am five or six days a week, was also written up at school for missing classes or falling asleep in class because of their job. Another child told investigators he had recently dropped out of high school because he was so exhausted.
The DOL’s initial evidence suggests children are facing similar conditions at 400 other locations, with kids working overnight shifts up to seven days a week, cleaning dangerous equipment like bone saws and meat-slicers on slaughterhouse killing floors.
PSSI is refusing to accept the allegations, saying in a statement they have “an absolute company-wide prohibition against the employment of anyone under the age of 18 and zero tolerance for any violation of that policy – period.”
Instead, the firm is trying to push blame onto the victims, stating that “[w]hile rogue individuals could of course seek to engage in fraud or identity theft, we are confident in our company’s strict compliance policies and will defend ourselves vigorously against these claims.”
PSSI’s Workplace Safety Record
Unfortunately, it’s not the first time PSSI has been in the news for its poor workplace safety conditions.
Data from 2015-2016 reported PSSI as having the 14th-highest rate of severe injuries among 14,000 companies analysed by OSHA in 29 US states. In fact, when adjusted for size, PSSI had a rate of 14 severe injuries per 10,000 workers, moving it to the top of the list by a wide margin.
‘Severe injuries’ are defined as amputation, hospitalisation or the loss of an eye. As recently as five years ago, PSSI had an amputation rate of 9.4 dismemberments per 10,000 workers – close to five times higher than the national average at the time.
One of the many reasons child labour is illegal is that kids are more likely to suffer injuries in the workplace. A 2015 survey out of Massachusetts found teen workers visited the ER 42% more than workers aged 25+. Child labour also affects kids’ school performance, and is generally unethical given kids often don’t know about workers’ rights and cannot advocate for themselves.
Some human rights advocates, like Fernando Morales-de la Cruz, have pointed out that child labour is on the rise in the supply chains of developed countries, like the US. He’s called on rich nations to address this issue, but clearly the workplace abuse of children is a problem at home too.
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