Hawaiian Falls In Pflugerville Among Those Hit With $86K Fine For Underage Worker Violations

PFLUGERVILLE, TX -- The U.S. Department of Labor has slapped operators of the Hawaiian Falls Water and Adventure parks -- including the one in Pflugerville -- with a fine of more than $85,000 for violations related to underage employees.

The labor department's Wage and Hour Division announced its findings on Wednesday. According to investigators, underage workers were found to be using dangerous equipment and working outside of permitted work hours at Hawaiian Falls’ Water and Adventure parks in Garland, Mansfield, Roanoke, Pflugerville, The Colony, White Settlement and Waco.

"Investigators found the employer violated the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act by allowing employees under the age of 18 to operate equipment prohibited for use by minors, including a chain saw and a motorized utility vehicle/golf cart," an official statement reads. "The investigation also found that workers under the age of 16 had operated prohibited equipment including gas-powered pressure washers, open-flame grills, automatic rotisseries, and pizza ovens, and had worked in walk-in freezers."

Additionally, the agency found dozens of workers under the age of 16 had worked outside of the hours allowed by law for that age group, officials said. Following the formal investigation, the company paid $85,904 in civil money penalties for the federal child labor violations at the following locations.

"Keeping our youngest workers safe on the job is one of the department’s top priorities,” said Betty Campbell, regional administrator for the Southwest Wage and Hour Division, in a prepared statement. “This employer put the health and well-being of children at risk by employing them to perform prohibited and hazardous jobs, and for scheduling them outside of the hours allowed by law."

She added the fine was meted out as a deterrent to prevent the creation of a hazardous work environment.

"The penalties imposed against the employer are indicative of the Wage and Hour Division’s effort to hold violators accountable for breaking the law," Campbell said. "We all want young workers to develop the skills and experience necessary to compete in the marketplace, but safety must never be sacrificed in the process."

Citing its potential economic impact, city officials backed a $25 million loan to build the facility. But since its opening, the site has been beset with issues, from anemic profits to layoffs to lawsuits.

News of the violations comes one day after the theme park's much-publicized drop of more than one ton of ice into the wave pool in a sign of its summer opening to beckon those wanting relief from the Texas heat.

“We love thrilling our guests at Hawaiian Falls and with this Texas heat, there is probably nothing more exciting than ice to cool us all off!” Hawaiian Falls CEO Clint Hill said in a prepared statement. “We always try to bring out-of-the-ordinary fun into our park to make the day even more special for our loyal guests.”

To see the full statement issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, click here.