Young worker used dangerous equipment at McDonald’s, feds say. Franchisee is fined

A younger worker was tasked with using the deep fryer at a McDonald’s restaurant in Pennsylvania, and now a fast food franchisee has been fined, according to federal authorities.

Federal child labor laws state 14- and 15-year-old employees may only use deep fryers that “automatically lower and raise the baskets into and out of the oil or grease.”

But the deep fryer at this Pittsburgh location was manual, putting the young teen in danger, according to a Monday, Dec. 5 news release from the U.S. Department of Labor.

This was one of several child labor violations a recent federal investigation uncovered, authorities said in the release. The violations involved 101 minors at 13 McDonald’s locations in the greater Pittsburgh area.

The restaurants are operated by McDonald’s franchisee Santonastasso Enterprises LLC, headquartered in Bridgeville.

The Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division found that 14- and 15-year-old employees were allowed to work “outside permissible hours” in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, according to the release.

“We take our role as a local employer very seriously and we regret any scheduling issues that may have occurred at our restaurant,” McDonald’s operators John and Kathleen Santonastasso said in a statement to McClatchy News. “Our biggest priority is always the safety and well-being of our employees and we have since instituted a series of new and enhanced processes and procedures to ensure employees are scheduled appropriately.”

The teen workers employed by the Santonastassos’ franchisee were scheduled to work more than three hours per day and after 7 p.m. on school days, past 9 p.m. in the summer, over eight hours per non-school day and more than 18 hours a week during the school year, officials said.

“Permitting young workers to work excessive hours can jeopardize their safety, well-being and education,” Wage and Hour District Director John DuMont said in the release. “Employers who hire young workers must understand and comply with federal child labor laws or face costly consequences.”

Santonastasso Enterprises LLC was fined a civil money penalty of $57,332, officials said, which has already been paid.

This story was originally published December 5, 2022 at 11:39 AM with the headline "Young worker used dangerous equipment at McDonald’s, feds say. Franchisee is fined."