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A state agency has penalized a construction company based in Vancouver, Washington, for child labor law violations after an investigation stemming from a major injury suffered by a 16-year-old worker on a project site in La Center last summer.

The teenage boy was using a walk-behind trencher when he was dragged underneath the blade, causing injuries so severe he lost both his legs. The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries鈥櫬�(L&I) safety and health division fined Rotschy Inc. $156,259 for letting workers operate equipment without appropriate training or experience.

Now, L&I has fined the contractor an additional $51,800 for violations of laws designed to protect minor workers, the department shared in a press release on Tuesday.

L&I investigators found that Rotschy Inc. allowed seven minors to operate earth-moving machines or heavy equipment or work so close to the machines that they could be injured by them on 35 different occasions.

L&I also found that Rotschy Inc. denied 11 minors mandatory meal breaks 45 times, and directed eight to work for more hours than state law allows during a school day more than 150 times. On one occasion, Rotschy Inc. started a teen鈥檚 workday before 5 a.m.

These new citations follow L&I citing the company for a 鈥渨illful serious鈥� workplace safety and health violation in December for the summer 2023 incident. L&I also issued an order of immediate restraint, suspending Rotschy Inc.鈥檚 student learner exemption.

L&I issued the latest citation on Feb. 22, and the company paid it on March 12. Rotschy Inc. is appealing the safety and health citation.

In response to a request for comment, a representative of Rotschy Inc. issued this statement: “Students hired by Rotschy receive clear guidelines on their work hours: up to 4 hours per day and 20 hours per week for non-Work-Based Learning roles, and up to 6 hours per day and 28 hours per week for those in Work-Based Learning. They must also take a half-hour lunch break daily. Any breaches, such as exceeding these limits or neglecting the lunch break, are promptly addressed upon reviewing their timecards, however due to non-compliance, this has led to a large penalty. Starting now, each violation will result in disciplinary action, potentially leading to days off or termination.”