Did Church of the Living Word Violate OSHA at Shiloh In Kalona, Iowa?

This post was written specifically for my fellow survivors of The Church of the Living Word cult founded by John Robert Stevens on child labor, safety, and OSHA standards.

But, this post is open to anyone wanting to learn about Heat Safety and what teenagers can or cannot do in volunteer jobs or at church boot camp.

Feel free to read, share and bookmark this post for a start on family groups’ health and safety awareness.

Kids need structure.
How do Chore Charts work in your home?

Did the Church of the Living Word Violate OSHA at Shiloh In Kalona, Iowa?

I do not know.

But, I’d like to find out why so many survivors have complained that they were young and worked long hard hours in the sun and heat as volunteers without being under their parents’ guardianship or supervision.

It has been alleged that the volunteer workforce was nothing more than “slave labor”. Who cannot help but wonder if so many youths of the ’80s and 90s were or were not protected under Child Labor Laws? Did the Walk’s leaders violate OSHA in Kalona?

We cannot ask the last leader of this dissolved organization for his input in putting the work at “church camp”.

Are we talking about Kid’s chores on Chore Charts?

 

I went from ages 12-17 and I’ll try to get specific on tasks.

Transcribing, cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming (halls had to be done in a few long strips as “Marilyn says to do it this way because she doesn’t like lines on the carpet”), scrubbing the outside of the buildings, weeding, clearing paths in the woods behind the buildings, and lots of kitchen work (that was my assigned work most years and everything else was during other general work times).

Kitchen was mostly washing dishes, washing, drying, and tearing lettuce, and chopping. I do remember thinking it was stupid at the time one year when they told me that I wasn’t allowed to do any chopping because I was under 16 (by 2 weeks). I had done it the year before though.

Oh, and kitchen duty also meant standing to serve food (we could only serve so much of the main dishes to each person), or being a runner bringing out refills of things, including the big drink coolers.  __Anonymous

 

In non-related current events under the Biden Administration, there are reports of immigrant children doing labor that is a violation of Child Labor Laws.

It seems like the perfect time to explore the same subject about what went on at Shiloh with minor children.

Don’t you think?

Hundreds of migrant children are working long hours under grueling conditions in the U.S. Most of them come into the country alone in need of ways to support themselves and their families back home.

https://www.npr.org/2023/03/05/1161192379/hundreds-of-migrant-children-work-long-hours-in-jobs-that-violate-child-labor-la

We need better Child Labor Laws pdq to help these immigrant children who came to America by themselves. For those who can empathize with their minor’s plight of being trafficked for Child Labor will you please, contact your state and federal elected representatives? I am in the process of writing more strongly worded letters O Iowa’s MIller-Meeks, Chuck Grassley, and Joanie Earnst.

I get emails from Katie Porter from Irvine, California representing with her white board Orange County, California who is running for the bigger house on Capitol Hill. – Katie gets a copy of my strongly worded letter to make better laws concerning the abuse of minors in unsafe work/ volunteer positions.

 

I do know for a fact that some boys lost their fingers cut off during work at the Saw Mill cutting lumber to make wood pallets. I saw the hands of several young men.

Under the supervision of an Amish man, DN, when accidents occurred, the man stated, “We don’t believe in doctors.”

( I knew that man and his family and I know for a fact that DN did make this statement in relation to general medical care. a number of times in passing years before.)

Check this out:Amish healthcare is an interesting topic with explanations that varies from community to community and even in different families. “

 

Or are we talking about heavy construction with dangerous pieces of equipment and a hard hat at Shiloh in Kalona?

This is what an anonymous survivor states on the Cult Education Forum way back in 2006.

I was not there. And I am not God, Judge, or Jury.

Are we talking about heavy machinery where OSHA requires a hard hat?

 

BTW: I use my old images from old blog posts promoting my former online store Heart Felt Play Store

 

The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by: recoveredfinally ()
Date: October 08, 2006 01:46AM

 

Shiloh really was a slave camp. I was forced to work all day long in the blazing heat cutting rose bushes one summer. I fainted from exhaustian. Most summers were spent like this: wake up at 6am, take a 5 minute shower that is timed, go to breakfast, go “wait on the Lord” for an hour, go discuss waiting on the Lord, get your personal list of chores, do your chores from about 10am – 6pm. Eat dinner, go to church, sleep, wake up again. Some of the chores included:
1) weeding outdoors on the side of a pebble road that lead into the entrance of the church – and it was at least 90 + degrees — or the humidity made it feel that way
2) weeding in the man-made lagoon where one year I was attacked by leeches when I sat in the sand
3) serving on the kitchen staff – the dish washing room was horrible because the dining room was already hot, but combined with the steam of the dish machine – it was 10 x worse!
4) scrubbing toilets and showers with a toothbrush
AND so forth….It was misery. I can vouche for that! 🙁

 

  • When I first read this 2006 comment around 2018, on Cult Education Forum, I had to question if the author was being hyperbolic.
  • I tried to be open so I kept reading more comments from one year to the next.

 

I read this reply below feeling he/she was somewhat dismissive. But I did not know what went on at Shiloh for YASP. I was long gone from The Walk. I would not have sent my children if I had stayed unless… I know they would be safe. I had already made the mistake of sending my son to Kingdom School in Fullerton, California where he was beaten so hard that he had red marks on his bottom left when he got home.

Does anyone remember my boy? He was almost 8 the last time was at Kingdom School In Fullerton in 1981.

(If you have ever read any old No Non-cents Nanna blogs you will have heard how I volunteered for Freinds Outside an agency in San Jose’ that assisted prisoners and their families. I was Camp Nurse for 100 prisoners and kids at each camp. Head lice, disgusting pool water, and sexual assault on some of the teenagers by the guy that got the job I had applied for. I didn’t get the paying job, but I volunteered to be the camp nurse for the references. This is in no way related to the Church of the Living Word Cult in 1984. I mention this simply because I want you to know that I have the qualifications to be questioning what went on at the youth camp they called YASP. That is IF I had not left the Walk a year earlier.)

 I inserted the reply to the first CEF comment above. I’m trying to be fair if I can be.

I do admit that I have a biased formed on this situation.

The Living Word Fellowship, The Walk, John Robert Stevens
Posted by: lo
Date: October 22, 2006 10:19AM

This is in answer to “recoveredfinally”. I do not know when you were at Shiloh. I was there 1978-1984. I did my stint with kitchen and housekeeping, as well as working on a hymnal (which was never really used, BTW).

The showers were not timed — we were asked to limit the time of a shower, but they were not metered. And, the services were not as dreadful as you make them out to be.

That said, this group was exceedingly dysfunctional (and, I think, probably still is). There were lots of wierd things that went on, wierd things we were expected to believe, etc.

That said, I took away with me things that I learned — positive as well as negative. There is no use being bitter, and whining about the past is not useful. What are you doing now to integrate those experiences into a healthy spiritual and emotional life? It CAN be done!

 

But, in more comments over a few years, more people used very similar words. And I connected to old friends from the organization, and kept reading the Cult Education forum, I began to see that I did the right thing by leaving the church with my children. That exit was Hell leading up to and harassed after – that another story in thing tangled web of deceit.

 

Someone else gave me this list of chores.

Ages 12-16ish jobs – all the things… Cooking, dishes, cleaning everything (bathrooms, kitchen, etc), weeding, cleaning outside (amphitheater, welcome areas, etc).

You didn’t really “volunteer,” you were told what you were doing and when. I’m sure there were more, but these are the big regular tasks that I recall. __Anonymous

 

There they were in the middle of Iowa’s Amish Country. Religious communities such as the Amish kind of demonstrate the religious freedom they have in the United States. If you don’t know what an Amish Community is, click HERE to read about Kalona’s history – be sure to look at the population for 1970.

Read more about Kalona, Iowa Amish history HERE and HERE about the Amish Religion.

Note that The Church of the Living Word aka Living Word Fellowship is NOT Amish. However, a number of Amish families, friends of my family joined my hometown church in Washington, Iowa in the late 1950s to very early 1960s.

Shiloh was not part of the Amish community tho’ the Living Word Community had a number of people formerly from the Amish community who still lived “plain and simple” and dressed in the Amish garb style they had grown up in.

 

What is OSHA?

It is almost coincidental that one of No Non-cents Nanna’s main keywords is #safety. I am a safety freak. Many of my normal blog posts or writing online are about #family, #health, and #safety.

It is my passionate concern to learn about how Shiloh in particular applied safety standards for the teen who did “volunteer work” there.

In other posts, I’ve written about my hometown church transforming into a cult. I have expressed concerns about age- appropriateness of sermons, child-rearing practices, and JRS dies of “rosey bottoms” being his god’s preferred form of ‘discipline’. In fact, those were amount the top reasons I ‘escaped the cult.”

What does OSHA do?

  • The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) assures safe and healthful working conditions by setting and enforcing standards, and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.
  • Do you have a question?
  • Ask a real person any government-related question for free.
  • They will get you the answer or let you know where to find it.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration | USAGov

www.usa.gov/agencies/occupational-safety-and-health-administration

Toll-free number

1-800-321-OSHA (1-800-321-6742)

Find an office near you

Main address

200 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20210

What is the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division?

 

Fact Sheet #43:

Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Nonagricultural Occupations

Revised December 2016

This Fact Sheet provides general information about the Federal youth employment provisions applicable to nonagricultural occupations. Different standards apply to farm work.

 

The Department of Labor is committed to helping young workers find those positive and early employment experiences that can be so important to their development, but the work must be safe. 

The youth employment provisions of the FLSA were enacted to ensure that when young people work, the work does not jeopardize their health, well-being or educational opportunities.

Employers are subject to the youth employment provisions generally under the same coverage criteria as established for the other provisions of the FLSA.

 

At what age does “Young Worker” go up to?

I don’t know about you, but, I am completely surprised by this fact :

The age of a “young inexperienced worker” goes up to age 24.

 

Young workers are those new to the workforce, even up to age 24.

Young workers can be an asset to your workforce.

However, it may be their first job or the first time they are operating equipment.

 

 

This GetsTricky Here…

Do the laws of the United States make religious exceptions to the law? Yes, sometimes.

Did JRS decide that the laws could be bent based on the connection with the Amish? Did he know the Amish work with their own children so they may not have to follow all the rules of Child Labor? (See below.)

The Amish might be able to circumvent a lot of laws and regulations by hiring family members.

With Freedom of Religion in the US, the Amish may be able to adhere to the religious beliefs that prevent them from using outside help – that would allow them to not hire the Workers Compensation Bureau – meaning they won’t be collecting Workman’s Comp for their family.

Well…I’m not a lawyer. And I am not intending this blog to even pretend to give you legal advice. so, don’t ask – I don’t know.

The best I can do is copy and paste some links to get you started on your own research that may get the critical thinking skills turning in your head.

Any former member of the Shiloh labor force or a Kingdom business including the Saw Mill in Kalona may want to take a closer look at these starter links by inserting your own personal experience. I know you all have burning questions.

 

https://www.osha.gov/enforcement/directives/std-01-06-005

 

www.ranker.com › list › rules-and-regulations-ofHere Are All Of The Bizarre Rules You Must Follow … – Ranker

Sep 24, 2021 · There is some bending and even breaking of typical Amish traditions. That being said, most Amish rules are laid out in the Ordnung – an set of guidelines that governs all aspects

anasselaw.com › pennsylvanias-amish-and-mennonitePA Amish & Mennonite Skip Workers’ Comp Due to Religious …

The Amish have long argued against having to pay insurance premiums, as they say they will never make a claim because it is against their religious beliefs, which mandate taking care of their own…

This is not intended to be legal advice, but, don’t you find this interesting?

I wonder how this was written into the legal doctrine of The Walk that nobody knows about. Or is Child Labor from Living Wrod Fellowship considered a Kingdom business with “supervisors from the same religious sect”?

Oh, how I love finding treasures when I research!

Do churches have to comply with OSHA?

  • With churches, OSHA makes a distinction between the types of activities they perform. 
  • OSHA does not cover religious activities like worship services.
  • But secular activities, like schools, daycares or bookstores operated by a church, must comply with OSHA regulations because they contribute to and affect the economic sector of U.S. society.

OSHA Regulations for Churches | Legal Beagle

legalbeagle.com/12081302-osha-regulations-for-churches.html
OSHA regulations cover private sector employees, but not those in the public or non-profit sector.

 

I was wondering exactly this…Who knew Frist Aid and CPR?

And what about PPE in the kitchen, yard, or sawmill?

I had heard about raw and bleeding hands after trimming around the rosebushes. Does anyone know why that person did not have gloves? When did you learn that rose bushes have sharp thorns?

Physical Labor

The church must ensure that all employees or contractors hired to work on the physical upkeep of the church have the proper safety equipment and safe working areas.

This includes but is not limited to yard work, remodeling and cleaning.

Safety equipment includes protective items like:

  1. gloves,
  2. earplugs,
  3. facial masks 
  4. protective eyewear.

At least one employee must have first aid certification if a medical center is not close to the church.

 

Hey you!

Check out Legal Beagal for some COOL Chart on Max work temperatures.

“Although OSHA does not establish specific maximum temperatures, its technical manual sets forth guidelines to prevent heat stress.”

This is not intended to be medical advice. Consult your doctor if you have any medical conditions where you need to avoid extreme temperatures. I’m not a lawyer either, so please do not use this as legal advice – use your critical thinking skills.

Innocent people got caught in a tangled web of deceit. How does a
hometown church go from Sunday School to a cult?

And does anyone know the difference between a “Charitable Volunteer” and a Non-profit, Uncompensated Employee of a religious organization that is only charitable to themselves?

I don’t know – I guess I should hire a real lawyer to sort through this complex situation.

 

Threshold Limit Values

One guideline OSHA employs is the threshold limit value equation, set by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH).

  • …For example, workers can perform light duties continuously in temperatures up to 86 degrees Fahrenheit,
  • … can only perform heavy duties up to 77 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • At 87 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively, workers must spend 25 percent of each hour at rest…

Safety Precautions

… precautions to reduce heat stress.

Employers must have air-conditioned rest areas and plenty of cool water easily accessible.

… schedule work during the coolest parts of the day … provide first aid equipment and trained personnel on site.

 

 

What are Child Labor Laws?

The block quote below is published by OSHA. For your convenience as well as my giving you these facts as straight from the horse’s mouth as I can give to you.

  • Please note that the law was updated in 2019. If you are interested in what the law was when you were at Shiloh, I have that contact information on this page.
  • Did YASP do charitable work that benefitted the Washington, County, Iowa public?
Read the Block quote to learn why I asked about Public Charity… I told you this would be tricky…
Under Commons Use for Information/Educational purposes.
Child Labor:
Child Labor Exemptions
In 2019 the Iowa legislature amended the child labor chapter to include additional “exceptions” from its requirements.
Beginning July 1, the following are generally not required to comply with Iowa child labor law:
  • Volunteer work for a charitable or public purpose.
  • Referees twelve years of age or older working for a charitable organization, a unit of government, or an organization recognized by the United States Olympic Committee.
  • The Iowa Summer Youth Corps Program.
  • Any recognized program of the Iowa National Service Corps for children over fourteen.
These do not require a permit and do not have hours restrictions. However, the kinds of permissible tasks are still limited by the hazardous/prohibited occupation restrictions in section 92.8.

FEDERAL LABOR LAW

For information on federal child labor law, contact the U.S. Department of Labor, in Des Moines at 515-284-4625.
Employers are subject to both state and federal child labor laws and, when there are differences, must follow the law that gives the most protection.
Below is from the Division of Labor for the purpose of information and education used under the Commun Use Act.
This block quote will be of interest to any minor who worked in the sawmill.
  1. Did you have hard hats to wear?
  2. Did you have eye protection?
  3. Did you wear earplugs? While working at the Saw Mill in Kalona, Iowa
  4. Do you know of anyone who had to file for Work Man Comp or Disability?
  5. Who covered your doctor or ER bill if you got a finger cut off or a large splinter in your eye?
  6. Did anyone get hearing impairment after working at the sawmill?
  7. Did you have a religious exemption?
  8. How many hours did you work at the sawmill in Kalona for The Chruch of the Living Word on a school day?
  9. Did you get OSHA-required breaks?
  10. What OASHA safety training did you get pre-employment at the sawmill in Kalona, Iowa?

Certain Minors in Places of Business that Use Machinery to Process Wood Products

Section 13(c)(7) of the FLSA permits the employment of certain minors between the ages of 14 and 18 inside and outside of places of businesses where machinery is used to process wood products. This exemption applies only to a minor who is:

  1. exempt from compulsory school attendance beyond the eighth grade either by statute or judicial order, and,
  2. is supervised in the work place by an adult relative or adult member of the *same religious sect or division as the minor.

Although a minor meeting these requirements may be employed inside and outside of places of businesses that use machinery to process wood products—activities normally prohibited by Child Labor Regulation No. 3 and HO 4—the minor is still prohibited from operating, or assisting to operate, any power-driven woodworking machines.

 

This prohibition includes the starting and stopping of the machines and the feeding of materials into the machines as well as the off-bearing of materials from the machines.

Such minors are also prohibited from cleaning, oiling, setting-up, adjusting and maintaining the machines. In addition, such minors must be protected from wood particles or other flying debris within the workplace by a barrier appropriate to the potential hazard of such wood particles or flying debris or by maintaining a sufficient distance from machinery in operation.

 

The minor is also required to use personal protective equipment to prevent exposure to excessive levels of noise and sawdust (see Fact Sheet No. 55 in this series for more information about this exemption).

Is the Church of the Living Word a Religious Sect?
Does anyone know what the difference is between “volunteering” and “working”?
Does “Religious Education/ Training” count as school?

HOURS OF WORK AND PERMITTED OCCUPATIONS FOR 14- AND 15-YEAR-OLDS IN NONAGRICULTURAL EMPLOYMENT

The Federal youth employment provisions limit the times of day, number of hours, and industries and occupations in which 14- and 15-year-olds may be employed.

Child Labor Regulation No. 3, 29 C.F.R. § 570.35, limits the hours and the times of day that 14- and 15-year-olds may work to:

  • outside school hours;
  • no more than 3 hours on a school day , including Fridays;
  • no more than 8 hours on a nonschool day;
  • no more than 18 hours during a week when school is in session;
  • no more than 40 hours during a week when school is not in session;
  • between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.—except between June 1 and Labor day when the evening hour is extended to 9 p.m.

Child Labor Regulation No. 3, 29 C.F.R. §§ 570.33 lists some of the jobs that 14- and 15-year-olds may not hold. 

Please read the quote below carefully. I find it a tad confusing when it comes to what you may not be employed in and the exception. There is you really need to figure it out, click on the link then read from the site. If that is still not clear as it applies to you, check out that phone number.

1. Persons fourteen and fifteen years of age may
not be employed in:

a. Any manufacturing occupation.
b. Any mining occupation.
c. Processing occupations, except in a retail, food
service, or gasoline service establishment in those
specific occupations expressly permitted under the
provisions of section 92.5.
d. Occupations requiring the performance of any
duties in workrooms or work places where goods
are manufactured, mined, or otherwise processed,
except to the extent expressly permitted in retail,
food service, or gasoline service establishments
under the provisions of section 92.5.
e. Public messenger service.
f. Operation or tending of hoisting apparatus or
of any power-driven machinery, other than office
machines and machines in retail, food service, and
gasoline service establishments which are
specified in section 92.5 as machines which such
minors may operate in such establishments.
Iowa Child Labor Law (Iowa Code Chapter 92)
cleaners and floor waxers, and maintenance of
grounds.
8. Kitchen work and other work involved in
preparing and serving food and beverages,
including the operation of machines and devices
used in the performance of such work, including
but not limited to,
  • dishwashers,
  • toasters,
  • dumbwaiters,
  • popcorn poppers,
  • milk shake blenders,
    and
  • coffee grinders.
9. Work in connection with motor vehicles and
trucks if confined to the following:
a. Dispensing gasoline and oil.
b. Courtesy service.
c. Car cleaning, washing and polishing.
Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to
include work involving the use of pits, racks or lifting
apparatus or involving the inflation of any tire
mounted on a rim equipped with a removable
retaining ring.
10. Cleaning vegetables and fruits, and wrapping,
sealing, labeling, weighing, pricing and stocking
goods when performed in areas physically separate
from areas where meat is prepared, for sale and
outside freezers or meat coolers.
11. Other work approved by the rules adopted
pursuant to chapter 17A by the labor commissioner.
g. Occupations prohibited by rules adopted
pursuant to chapter 17A by the labor
commissioner.
h. Occupations in connection with the following,
except office or sales work in connection with
these occupations, not performed on
transportation media or at the actual construction
site:
(1) Transportation of persons or property by rail,
highway, air, on water, pipeline, or other means.
(2) Warehousing and storage.
(3) Communications and public utilities.
(4) Construction, including repair.
i. Any of the following occupations in a retail,
food service, or gasoline service establishment:
(1) Work performed in or about boiler or engine
rooms.
(2) Work in connection with maintenance or
repair of the establishment, machines, or
equipment.
(3) Outside window washing that involves
working from window sills, and all work requiring
the use of ladders, scaffolds, or their substitutes.
(4) Cooking except at soda fountains, lunch
counters, snack bars, or cafeteria serving counters,
and baking.
(5) Occupations which involve
  • operating,
  • settingup,
  • adjusting,
  • cleaning,
  • oiling,

or

  • repairing powerdriven food slicers and grinders, food choppers and
    cutters, and bakery-type mixers.
(6) Work in freezers and meat coolers and all work
in preparation of meats for sale, except wrapping,
sealing, labeling, weighing, pricing, and stocking
when performed in other areas.
(7) Loading and unloading goods to and from
trucks, railroad cars, or conveyors.
(8) All occupations in warehouses except office
and clerical work.
2. Nothing in this section shall be construed as
prohibiting office, errand, or packaging work when
done away from moving machinery.
When at YASP, Summer Boot Camp or Kingdom School at Shiloh or any other Living Word Fellowship facility, kingdom business, or pastor’s home, were you enrolled in a Work Study Program?

Work-Study Programs (WSP)

Some of the provisions of Child Labor Regulation No. 3 are varied for 14- and 15-year-old participants in approved school-administered WSPs. A WSP participant must be 14 or 15 years of age, enrolled in a college preparatory curriculum, and be identified by authoritative personnel from his or her school as being able to benefit from a work-study program.

Employment of participants in WSPs shall be confined to not more than 18 hours in any one week when school is in session, a portion of which may be during school hours in accordance with the following formula that is based upon a continuous four-week cycle:

  • In three of the four weeks, the participant is permitted to work during school hours on only one day per week, and for no more than for eight hours on that day.
  • During the remaining week of the four-week cycle, the participant is permitted to work during school hours on no more than two days, and for no more than for eight hours on each of those two days.

The employment of WSP participants is still subject to the time of day and number of hours standards contained in 29 C.F.R. §§ 570.35(a)(2), (a)(3), (a)(4), and (a)(6). The superintendent of the public or private school system wishing to supervise and administer a WSP as discussed in this section must first receive permission form the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division.

Where to Obtain Additional Information

For additional information, visit our Wage and Hour Division Website: http://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd and/or call our toll-free information and helpline, available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in your time zone, 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243).

This publication is for general information and is not to be considered in the same light as official statements of position contained in the regulations.

See below for penalties.

It is my understanding from talking to former cult members who lived at Shiloh in Kalona Iowa when I was there in the late ’70s that they were “forced to work in the 90-degree heat.”
As a safety freak my concerns:
  1. California people are used to the High Iowa humidity.
  2. How did they stay hydrated?
  3. How were they protected from the UV rays of the sun?
  4. How were they taught to be safe in the summer working in the yard or garden?
  5. How was the heat and humidity in Shiloh’s kitchen? Was it safe?
  6. Were there any rooms at Shiloh that had air conditioning?
  7. How were you or your peers treated for Heat Exhaustion?

 

For informational and after-the-fact and future reference educational purposes I insert an important health and safety quote from OSHA. I edit the spacing for easier reading. For more information click HERE to go to a page on OSHAs website.

  • Heat is the leading weather-related killer, and it is becoming more dangerous as 18 of the last 19 years were the hottest on record.
  • Excessive heat can cause heat illnesses and even death if not treated properly.
  • It also exacerbates existing health problems like asthma, kidney failure, and heart disease.
  • Workers in agriculture and construction are at highest risk for getting heat illness, but the problem affects all workers exposed to heat, including indoor workers without climate-controlled environments.
  • People of color and people with lower incomes often work in industries which increase the likelihood of being exposed to heat as a hazard.
  • Essential jobs where employees are exposed to high levels of heat are disproportionately held by Black and Brown workers.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, heat stress killed 815 U.S. workers and seriously injured more than 70,000 workers from 1992 through 2017.

However, this is likely a vast underestimate given that injuries and illnesses are underreported in the U.S., especially in the sectors employing vulnerable and often undocumented workers.

Furthermore, heat is not always recognized as a cause of heat-induced injuries or deaths and can easily be misclassified because many of the symptoms overlap with other more common diagnoses.

The U.S Government wants to spread this education. Under Common Use Law for informational purposes I copied and pasted the information below from the OSHAs website for your convenience.
Please do not quote this information from this page, but go directly to this link… https://www.osha.gov/heat/employer-responsibility
I want to encourage you to use critical thinking at this time. Below is the EMPLOYERS’ responsibility.
Ask yourself:
  1. Did I receive training prior to being sent to work in the heat?
  2. Was I aware of how to prevent and treat Heat Illness?
  3. Why or why not?
  4. Did you have a work permit?
  5. Were you paid?
  6. Were you a volunteer?
  7. Did you ever witness or were you aware of someone who exhibited the following symptoms while at Shiloh in Kalona, Iowa? Heat exposure can be dangerous.

Signs of a medical emergency:

  • Abnormal thinking or behavior,
  • Slurred speech,
  • Seizures,
  • Loss of consciousness.
  • Take these actions:
  • 1. Call 911 immediately. 2. Cool the worker right away with water or ice. 3. Stay with the worker until help arrives.

Provide Training for Workers

Employers should provide training to workers, including supervisors, so they understand heat exposure risks, prevention actions, and first aid.

Heat Prevention Training

Heat Illness: Prevent Heat Illness at Work Poster (PDF) • Español (PDF)

Heat Illness Signs and Symptoms Infographic English (ZIP) • Español (ZIP)

 

Know First Aid for Heat Illness

  • Employers and workers should become familiar with the symptoms of heat illness.
  • When any of these symptoms are present, promptly provide first aid.

Heat Related Illness and First Aid

Heat Illness Medical Emergency infographic in EnglishHeat exposure can be dangerous. Signs of a medical emergency: Abnormal thinking or behavior, Slurred speech, Seizures, Loss of consciousness. Take these actions: 1. Call 911 immediately. 2. Cool the worker right away with water or ice. 3. Stay with the worker until help arrives.

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Are the Amish children subject to Child Labor Laws or OSHA regulations?

Are you a member of an Amish family?

Did you know any of the information below before today?

  • Child labor restrictions were lessened for Amish in 2004, allowing greater scope for 14 to 17-year-olds to work in family businesses, including manufacturing shops.
  • Interviewing Amish business owners for my first book, it occasionally came up that a child couldn’t do certain work because they weren’t old enough.
amishamerica.com/amish-child-labor-laws/
Uh-oh? I wonder how many assume they don’t have to obey man’s laws?
Get those critical thinking gears moving your heads, now. We got some critical thinking to do.
Please read the entire article from the ABC news source. I wanted to get you started on your own research for our own benefit. This block quote is here for educational purposes under the Common Use Law.
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. This post is not intended to give legal advice. 
  • But that doesn’t mean they can break child labor laws, federal officials say. The Amish have long had an exemption allowing their children to leave school at 14 — two years earlier than other children — and work full-time on the farm, in accordance with their religious beliefs.

Feds Cite Amish For Child Labor Violations

W A S H I N G T O N, Aug. 1, 2001 — The Amish isolate themselves, and their children, from what they see as an ungodly modern world.

But that doesn’t mean they can break child labor laws, federal officials say.

The Amish have long had an exemption allowing their children to leave school at 14 — two years earlier than other children — and work full-time on the farm, in accordance with their religious beliefs.

But another part of the traditional Amish way of life — apprenticeships in sawmills and woodshops — has come up against federal laws barring teen-agers from working in dangerous occupations.

abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=92732&page=1
In conclusion, parents of minors who were under the leadership and guidance of Designated Relationship Shepherds want to know if their children were safe from hazards when at Shiloh in Kalona, Iowa.
Here is the grand prize we have all been waiting for…the big penalties for oops! I heard the voice of God wrong…many thanks to the U. S. Department of Labor dot Gov for allowing the use of this valuable information in this educational post for cult followers and survivors of toxic organizations.
Does anyone know if a church youth leader or pastor is considered an employer if that person benefits from free labor or not? I’m not a lawyer or employed by the Secretary of Labor so I have no idea – I certainly don’t want to give any misinformation. 
Who knows how big any of the Kingdom Business was that were profiting some prophet by employing volunteer minors?
Or were the church of the Living Word legal pastors the Business Owners who employed Child Labor for less than Minimum wage?
Oh, wait, Labors of Love…how many hours on a school night did children labor in love for the top of the Kingdom heap? Did the birth parents or Legal Guardians know their kids were working at doing what?
M-m-m?
Inquiring minds want to know the answers to all of this. But, no one representing the Living Word Fellow or Shiloh or whatever DBA the Chruch of the Living Word switched its name to is bothering to communicate with the poor little people…
Show us your records, Gary.

Enforcement and Penalties

Investigators of the Wage and Hour Division who are stationed across the U.S. enforce the youth employment provisions of the FLSA.

As the Secretary of Labor’s representatives, they have the authority to conduct investigations and gather data on wages, hours, and other employment conditions or practices in order to assess compliance with all the provisions of the FLSA.

An employer that violates the youth employment provisions may be subject to civil money penalties (CMPs).

The amount of the CMP assessment, which may not exceed a cap set by statute, depends upon the application of statutory and regulatory factors to the specific circumstances of the case.

  • As a general matter, child labor CMP assessments will be higher if the violation contributed to the injury or death of the youth involved in the violation. The severity of any such injury will be taken into account in determining the amount of a CMP.
  • CMP assessments may be decreased based on the size of the business.
  • CMP assessments will reflect the gravity of the violation and may be doubled if the violation is determined to be willful or repeated.

A CMP assessment for a violation that causes the death or serious injury of a minor is subject to a higher statutory cap.

  • An injury qualifies as a “serious injury” for this purpose if it involves permanent or substantial harm. Both the significance of the injury and the duration of recovery are relevant in determining whether an injury is serious.
  • If more than one violation caused a single death or serious injury, more than one CMP may be assessed.
  • CMP assessments based on the death or serious injury of a minor may be doubled up to a higher statutory cap if the violation is determined to be willful or repeated.

For current maximum CMP amounts, please visit https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/flsa.

We have a lot of questions but, no one has bothered to give us any answers. It is not the surviving blow-outs who aren’t spill the proverbial beans.
The last top of the Pyramid leader left the country. Many former members would love to chat on their Facebook page, but, Gary’s admin blocked them all. What’s up with that?
We’d love to hear from former leadership from The Church of the Living Word cult about how much training you had to safely supervise youth.
  • What legal and health forms did parents provide for your record before they sent their kids to “summer camp” at Shiloh? Wasn’t Summer Camp with Flush toilets the original pitch for building Shiloh?
  • Were parents aware they were sending their child to a “work camp”?
  • How was staff trained before these YASP Youth groups moved in for some period of time to work or go to school at Shiloh?
  • What standard required certificates or credentials did each “volunteer” have prior to being designated to guide youth on the premises? (I was taught in nursing school Nursing and Law class that if you don’t record something, legally you did not do it. But, hey, I’m not a lawyer.)
  • Gary, all of us Blow Outs want to see documentation, including POA and release of information health records. Will it match up with parental records?

Disclaimer:

This post is written in good faith to be as accurate as possible.

This post is intended to find answers to questions that did not seem to be provided.

This post in is no way accusing anyone of of any negligence, crime, or wrongdoing.

We parent while members of the Church of the Living Word, Grace Chappel, ChristianTabernacle, or whatever legal name change you made in whatever year that was, ASSUMED you, Gary and your wife or her former husband had our children’s best interest at heart and would keep them 100% safe.

We assumed records were kept for all these years maybe as far back as 1960 because everything was recorded and transcribed.

Was there layin gon of hands for Personal Ministry to send any minor to YASP, summer camp at Shiloh, or Kingdom school, or how did parents and the Living Word Shepherds decide what minor would go and what job would they do for no pay?

What happened to all those recorded transcripts? Did they get burned up or Left Behind? Did Neppulim posers take the legal records of the prophecies over our lives as well as all the medical release forms? What?

…to be continued…

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