WASHINGTON — According to a report released Friday by the American Youth Work Center, a youth advocacy group, an estimated 200,000 children will be injured this year on the job.

“On Labor Day, we celebrate the efforts of working men and women,” said Linda Golodner of the National Consumers League. “But we also need to focus attention on the young workers of our country.”

The American Youth Work Center predicts some 40,000 cases of child labor violations will be reported this year, almost double the number found in 1989.

“Deaths and injuries are increasing dramatically and yet are spread thinly across the country,” said AYWC’s William Treanor. “And so all that people have are anecdotal stories. Everybody can think of one gruesome, horrible incident that they’re aware of and they think that that’s some sort of freak occurrence. ‘

Thirteen-year-old Matthew Garvey was taking a break from his summer job at the car wash when his leg was sucked into a drying machine and severed from his body. The company was fined $400.

Quality Car Wash in Laurel, Md., had hired Matthew to dry cars with cloths, though Matthew had no work permit and was underage. Matthew said several other children also worked there, including an 8-year-old.

Matthew received $400 from the company because the dryer had no lid covering the fan blades. The car wash also was fined $10,000 for child labor law violations, but the money went to the state.

The car wash has since gone out of business.

“There were no cops on the beat to say to that employer `you cannot employ these young people,”‘ said Golodner. She said it was very tempting for employers to violate child labor laws because the chances of getting caught are slim, and even if they do get caught they’ll only get a “slap on the wrist.”

“In any way you look at it child labor is cheap labor.” Golodner said. “Many don’t know they’re being exploited, and because it may be their first job they want to please their employer.”

The Department of Labor conducted a one-day sweep of businesses in June this year, uncovering 3,800 cases of child labor violation. Most of the cases involved youngsters working more hours than the laws allow, but many were using dangerous machinery.

As a result of the sweep, the Labor Secretary Elizabeth Dole announced that the administration would back legislation to increase fines from $1,000 to $10,000 the maximum penalty for violations.

The legislation, co-sponsored by Reps. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Don Pease, D-Ohio, will go to the floor when Congress gets back to work this fall.

But Treanor said it was likely the bill would be held up by other priorities facing Congress and added that it wasn’t far-reaching enough to be effective.

The National Consumer’s League and AYWC are calling on Congress and the Labor Department to update the child laws on the books since 1938, create stiffer penalties for violations and to step up reporting and enforcement efforts.

Treanor said businesses themselves should develop and enforce standards for working youths. “If McDonalds started serving green cheese or something, they’re going to go nuts at McDonalds’ headquarters,” said Treanor. “Why don’t these companies go nuts when they find out that a 14-year-old just sliced her hand off in one of their fast food joints?”