Olympia area timber business fined $114,300 for violating child labor laws, state L&I says
An Olympia area timber business has been fined $114,300 by the state Department of Labor and Industries, the agency announced Tuesday.
L&I officials say the business allowed a teen to work in its logging operation and the teen got hurt on the job. As a result, MVR Timber Cutting was cited and fined.
The business has filed an appeal, according to L&I.
The investigation began in last May when L&I received a report that a then-17-year-old worker was injured on the job, fracturing his foot as he jumped from one tree stump to another, according to a news release.
L&I expanded the investigation when it learned the teen was working as a choker-setter on the logging crew. Setting the choker means to wrap a cable around a log so it can be hauled away.
L&I then twice fined the company $56,000 for allowing the teen to work in logging operations 56 times and in an area where a hard hat is required another 56 times, according to the release.
“State regulations prohibit teens under the age of 18 from working a job where safety regulations require more extensive personal protective equipment than boots, gloves, and safety glasses,” the release reads. “They also can’t work in hard-hat zones.”
L&I also fined the company $2,300 for violating hours-of-work regulations for minors.
This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 12:29 PM.
