Sky Zone in Washington Fined for Overworking Teens

The owner of a Tukwila, Washington, trampoline park faces more than $68,000 in fines for not giving teen employees meal breaks, and for working them longer hours than allowed under law.

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries investigated and cited the company after receiving a complaint, and Flying Circus Washington LLC, doing business as Sky Zone Seattle, did not file an appeal by the deadline. This is reportedly the second time L&I cited a Sky Zone business. Last year, L&I cited a Vancouver, Washington, location for similar violations.

The L&I investigation at the Tukwila location started as a workplace safety complaint. It reportedly involved a teen reportedly fixing a zip line up to 12 feet off the ground without proper training and fall protection, resulting 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 reportedly found Sky Zone permitted 57 minors to work more than five consecutive hours without a meal break on 537 occasions.

Other reported violations include:

• 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;
• 15 minors worked more than eight hours per day on a non-school day during a school week on 32 occasions.

Along with the recent citations at the Tukwila Sky Zone, in 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 reportedly went without a meal break on more than 250 occasions, and worked beyond hours allowed under law on more than 350 occasions.

Sky Zone is a franchised indoor trampoline park with a variety of attractions. There are a reported 200 parks across the country.

Topics Washington