Teenagers were cleaning slaughterhouses in the US, even at night: their employer, a subcontractor of large companies, paid a fine of 1.5 million dollars, and the Department of Labor warns that the number of working children is increasing.

“These children were working with hazardous chemicals and cleaning meat cutting tools such as chest saws and skull crushers,” the ministry said in its statement.

Wisconsin-based Packers Sanitation Services (PSSI) paid a $1.5 million fine. It is one of the largest companies providing cleaning and hygiene services in the agri-food sector. Among its clients were the giants JBS, Cargill and Tyson Foods.

The company employed at least 102 minors (from 13 to 17 years old) in hazardous work. Children also worked at night in 13 meat processing plants in eight states and at least three of them were injured.

When auditors went to PSSI facilities to investigate, “the adults who hired and supervised the children tried to derail our efforts,” said Michael Lazzeri, the Department of Labor’s Chicago area manager.

This case is “not unique” since “we see a lot of children working outside the legal framework,” said Jessica Luhmann, a high-ranking official at the ministry, in a telephone press conference she gave. “We have seen an increase in violations of around 50% since 2018,” he explained.

Many states want to loosen child labor laws to help companies facing labor shortages. “State laws do not supersede or supersede federal law,” Luhmann said, stressing that employers should comply with laws that protect children and their employees.