As Iowa eases work hazard rules, experts fear youth worker deaths

In a controversial move, Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) has granted waivers allowing two companies to employ 16- and 17-year-olds in hazardous jobs. This decision, made despite federal restrictions and international consensus that hazardous child labor could be considered a form of modern slavery, raises serious concerns about the ongoing rollbacks of child labor laws across the U.S. The Gazette reports that the actions by IWD highlight the dangers of weakening long-standing protections designed to keep young workers safe for the sake of filling a tight labor market in the guise of “developing skills in the workforce”.

“This is how kids die on the job”

The waiver issued by IWD allows two companies to train teenagers in dangerous tasks. Camblin Mechanical, a commercial HVAC company, sought to allow teens to operate power-driven metal forming and cutting machines, which are classified as hazardous under federal law. This decision came despite clear warnings from the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL) and Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Iowa OSHA) about the potential dangers, including the risk of amputations.

Hennings Electric also received a waiver to allow teens to operate scissor lifts, circular saws, and other dangerous equipment. Although the company owner, Greg Hennings, pledged to ensure safety, DIAL questioned whether the provided training would be adequate. Despite these concerns, IWD approved the waiver, relying on the company’s assurances rather than rigorous safety standards.

Debbie Berkowitz, a former senior official of the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration from 2009-2016 stated:

“I am totally stunned”

“These jobs are among the most dangerous jobs that exist in industry today.  People get killed on them. They have very high amputation rates, and this is among adult workers. And we already know that new workers and young workers are injured at higher rates and have much more severe injuries.”

“This is a recipe for disaster for these young workers. … This is how kids die on the job.”

Expert warnings ignored

According to CDC, Young workers get injured at much higher rates than other workers. OSHA has warned about devastating injuries in the metal fabricating business, citing 10 preventable fatalities they investigated over a one-year period and more than 20 preventable injuries resulting from a variety of scissor lifts.

Jeff Cooling, a union electrician who spoke against the law on the Iowa House floor said,

“As a professional electrician who’s worked on a lot of construction sites over the last almost 20 years, I know OSHA’s ‘Fatal Four’ issues that come up are falls, being struck by traffic or moving equipment, electrocutions and being caught in, squeezed, pinched or crushed by machinery or between hazards. And these two waivers will expose these children to some or all of these dangers on their job sites. So even if it’s for an hour a day, I think an hour is too long.”

The decision to grant these waivers is part of a broader trend in Iowa and other states to roll back child labor protections under the guise of providing more opportunities for youth. However, these rollbacks pose significant dangers to young workers, who are far more vulnerable to workplace injuries than their adult counterparts. The risks are not hypothetical; they are well-documented.

The increasing infringements of child labor laws, accompanied by state legislators’ efforts to diminish protection standards for children in the workforce, only encourages exploitation and risks leading to a slide towards modern slavery.

Sign our petition to say NO to child labor law rollbacks. Demand the U.S. to protect child workers!