Hiring child labor can be very expensive.

Caesars Utah LLC, a Sandy-based franchisee with 48 Little Caesars Pizza restaurants in Utah, paid $110,800 in civil penalties to settle child labor violations at nearly half of its restaurants, a federal regulator announced Thursday.

Dean Campbell, district director of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division in Salt Lake City, said a federal investigation found a total of 138 minors were hired by 20 franchised restaurants including four in Payson, Springville, Saratoga Springs and Draper.

Many were terminated after Joe Johnson, owner of the local franchisee, realized the 20 restaurants were violating youth employment provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, Campbell said.

“Many of the violations are common to that industry,” he said. The violations include: allowing 14- to 17-year-olds to operate hazardous dough mixers. Federal labor laws say workers younger than 18 are prohibited from operating or setting up, repairing, oiling or cleaning any power-driven dough mixers.

Other violations by Caesars Utah include: allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to work in violation of federal hours and time standards, and in violation of occupation standards, the federal government said.

According to the Fair Labor act, 14- and 15-year-olds may work in certain occupations outside school hours, but not before 7 a.m. and no later than 7 p.m. During the summer months from June 1 through Labor Day, those working hours are extended to 9 p.m.

Federal laws say individuals younger than 16 may not be employed in cooking and baking.

Campbell declined to comment on how the federal government found out about the pizza franchisee’s labor violations.

“We found no willful intent to employ minors,” Campbell said. “Had we found willful intent, those civil penalties would be in excess of $110,000. In extreme cases of injuries or death, civil penalties can be as much as $11,000 per minor, or more, if there was proof the employer knew the behavior was illegal, or if the employer has a history of violations.”

As part of the settlement, the company agreed to create a yearlong youth employment educational campaign. The campaign, called “Stop, Look and Listen,” includes putting up posters at 40 Little Caesars Pizza restaurants statewide, and broadcasting public service announcements on Utah radio stations.

“That shows the employer wants to make a real commitment to minors and comply with federal labor laws. The franchisee went beyond our expectations,” Campbell said.

Kathryn Oldham, director of communications for Little Caesars Pizza in Detroit, Mich., said the company was “pleased the franchisee has taken appropriate corrective measures.”

“The Salt Lake stores are independently owned and operated by the local franchisee. They’re not company-owned stores,” she said.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D6.