Two children aged 10 working unpaid shifts at US McDonald’s restaurant

A US Department of Labour investigation found 62 McDonald’s restaurants across the United States violated child labour laws, leading to fines of more than US$200,000 (NZ$341,000). Photo / 123rf

A pair of 10-year-old children were discovered to have been working unpaid shifts at a US McDonald’s, working as late as 2am and even operating a deep fryer.

The revelation comes from a US Department of Labour investigation, which found 62 McDonald’s restaurants across the United States violated child labour laws, leading to fines of more than US$200,000 (NZ$341,000).

The two children, who worked in Kentucky, prepared and distributed food orders, cleaned the store and worked the drive-through.

The investigation found one of the two children was allowed to operate a deep fryer, a “prohibited” task for workers under 16 in the US.

The three franchisees which own the 62 restaurants, Bauer Food LLC, Archways Richmond LLC and Bell Restaurant Group LLC, were fined a total of US$212,754.

“Under no circumstances should there ever be a 10-year-old child working in a fast-food kitchen around hot grills, ovens and deep fryers,” US Department of Labour official Karen Garnett-Civils said.

The violations involving the 10-year-olds date back to August last year, according to department official Juan Coria.

One of the 10-year-olds worked 10 shifts between two and four hours per night. The other child worked during a similar time.

The kids are two of more than 300 minors under 16 that the agency’s Wage and Hour Division inspectors discovered were working unlawfully at restaurants in Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, and Ohio.

“We are seeing an increase in federal child labour violations, including allowing minors to operate equipment or handle types of work that endangers them or employs them for more hours or later in the day than federal law allows,” Garnett-Civils said.

A 15-year-old was injured while using a deep fryer at a McDonald’s in Tennessee in June 2022.

“One child injured at work is one too many,” Garnett-Civils said.

“Child labour laws exist to ensure that when young people work, the job does not jeopardise their health, wellbeing or education.”

McDonald’s senior vice-president and chief people officer Tiffanie Boyd said in a statement the revelations were unacceptable, deeply troubling and don’t meet the high expectations for the McDonald’s brand.

“I know how important it is that every restaurant fosters a culture of safety. As a mother whose teenage son proudly worked at our local McDonald’s, I feel this on a very personal level. We are committed to ensuring our franchisees have the resources they need to foster safe workplaces for all employees and maintain compliance with all labour laws,” the statement read.