LANSING (WWJ) - A 55-year-old Saranac man has pled guilty to one count of employing a minor in a dangerous profession after a 17-year-old lost his hand in a meat grinder while on the job.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Friday that the illegal employee suffered the amputation of his right hand by a meat grinder while working for US Guys Processing, an Ionia County meat processing company, about 25 miles east of Grand Rapids, on November 19, 2019. Darin Wilbur was the company's owner and was also supervising the teenager while the minor was operating the dangerous equipment.
During the meat processing nearly four years ago, the 17-year-old's hand was pulled into the meat grinder and thus amputated.
Soon after, the Michigan Wage and Hour Division received a referral about a serious injury to a minor. An investigation followed, determining that the minor was illegally employed under the Youth Employment Standards Act.
In addition, Wilbur did not receive a work permit for the 17-year-old, which is required for employing individuals under age 18 in the state of Michigan.
The investigation findings were submitted to the Attorney General's Department to pursue criminal charges.
“Our labor laws were written to protect children from dangerous workplaces; however, they lack the teeth needed to properly hold bad employers accountable for violations,” A.G. Nessel wrote in a Press Release.
“This case highlights the need to strengthen these protections, as well as the consequences for violations, and I look forward to working with the legislature on this critical work to protect the state’s youth.”
Nessel encourages the legislature to re-evaluate the fines for employing minors without the requisite permits, as well as the current statues and penalties surrounding employing minors in hazardous occupations, which is currently a misdemeanor.
The judge has ordered a pre-sentencing investigation prior to sentencing. A sentencing date has not been set.
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