Flying Circus Washington LLC, doing business as Sky Zone Seattle, did not file an appeal by the Jan. 8 deadline. This is the second time L&I cited a Sky Zone business. Last year, L&I cited a Vancouver, Wash., location for similar violations.

“Working without a break puts teen employees, and the children who are playing, in danger,” said Bryan Templeton, L&I Employment Standards Program manager. “And a student’s focus during the school year should be on the classroom.

“The law is meant to help protect young workers, and keep school a priority.”

57 minors worked without meal breaks
Sky Zone is a franchised indoor trampoline park with a variety of attractions. There are some 200 parks across the country.

The L&I investigation at the Tukwila location started as a workplace safety complaint. It involved a teen reportedly fixing a trampoline/zip line up to 12 feet off the ground without proper training and fall protection. It resulted in the agency citing Sky Zone for failing to hold required safety meetings.

Along with the safety citation, the investigator referred the case to L&I’s youth employment standards unit. That investigation found Sky Zone permitted 57 minors to work more than five consecutive hours without a meal break on 537 occasions. Among other violations:

• 19 minors worked more than 20 hours per week during a school week 43 times;
• 34 minors worked more than four hours per day on a school day preceding another school day on 154 occasions, and;
• 15 minors worked more than eight hours per day on a non-school day during a school week on 32 occasions.

Previous citation in Vancouver
Along with the recent citations at the Tukwila Sky Zone, in January 2024, L&I cited the separately owned Sky Zone trampoline park in Vancouver, Wash. That case focused on numerous violations of meal breaks and hours worked. In that case, 43 teens went without a meal break on more than 250 occasions, and worked beyond hours allowed under law on more than 350 occasions.

More information about work requirements for teens is available L&I’s teen workers website, and simply clicking on “Hours of Work.” There is also information about prohibited duties and how to hire teens.