diff --git a/src/main/java/sirius/biz/cluster/work/DistributedTasks.java b/src/main/java/sirius/biz/cluster/work/DistributedTasks.java
index dfc0ef00d..d841140e2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/sirius/biz/cluster/work/DistributedTasks.java
+++ b/src/main/java/sirius/biz/cluster/work/DistributedTasks.java
@@ -69,12 +69,17 @@ public class DistributedTasks implements MetricProvider {
 
     private static final String KEY_EXECUTOR = "_executor";
     private static final String KEY_PENALTY_TOKEN = "_penalty_token";
+    private static final String CONFIG_KEY_PRIORITIZED = "prioritized";
+    private static final String CONFIG_KEY_PENALTY_TIME = "penaltyTime";
+    private static final String CONFIG_KEY_CONCURRENCY_TOKEN = "concurrencyToken";
+    private static final String CONFIG_BLOCK_ASYNC_DISTRIBUTED_QUEUES = "async.distributed.queues";
 
     /**
      * Contains the logger used to report everything related to distributed tasks.
      */
     public static final Log LOG = Log.get("distributed-tasks");
 
+
     @Part
     private NeighborhoodWatch orchestration;
 
@@ -230,17 +235,25 @@ public List<DistributedQueueInfo> getQueues() {
      * @return the configuration for the given queue
      */
     private DistributedQueueInfo loadQueueInfo(String queueName) {
-        Extension config = Sirius.getSettings().getExtension("async.distributed.queues", queueName);
+        Extension config = Sirius.getSettings().getExtension(CONFIG_BLOCK_ASYNC_DISTRIBUTED_QUEUES, queueName);
         if (config == null || config.isDefault()) {
             LOG.WARN("Missing configuration for queue: %s", queueName);
             return new DistributedQueueInfo(queueName, null, null);
         }
 
-        return new DistributedQueueInfo(queueName,
-                                        config.get("concurrencyToken").asString(),
-                                        config.get("prioritized").asBoolean() ?
-                                        Duration.ofMillis(config.getMilliseconds("penaltyTime")) :
-                                        null);
+        Duration penaltyTime = null;
+        if (config.get(CONFIG_KEY_PRIORITIZED).asBoolean()) {
+            long penaltyTimeMillis = config.getMilliseconds(CONFIG_KEY_PENALTY_TIME);
+            if (penaltyTimeMillis == 0) {
+                LOG.WARN("A prioritized queue (%s) needs a penaltyTime!", queueName);
+            } else {
+                penaltyTime = Duration.ofMillis(penaltyTimeMillis);
+            }
+        } else if (config.getMilliseconds(CONFIG_KEY_PENALTY_TIME) > 0) {
+            LOG.WARN("A FIFO queue (%s) must not have a penaltyTime!", queueName);
+        }
+
+        return new DistributedQueueInfo(queueName, config.get(CONFIG_KEY_CONCURRENCY_TOKEN).asString(), penaltyTime);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -268,7 +281,7 @@ public void submitFIFOTask(Class<? extends DistributedTaskExecutor> executor, Ob
         getFifo(queueName).offer(data);
     }
 
-    protected FifoQueue getFifo(String queueName) {
+    private FifoQueue getFifo(String queueName) {
         return fifos.computeIfAbsent(queueName, this::createFifo);
     }
 
@@ -377,7 +390,7 @@ public void submitPrioritizedTask(Class<? extends DistributedTaskExecutor> execu
         getPrioritizedQueue(queueName).offer(priority, data);
     }
 
-    protected PrioritizedQueue getPrioritizedQueue(String queueName) {
+    private PrioritizedQueue getPrioritizedQueue(String queueName) {
         return prioritizedQueues.computeIfAbsent(queueName, this::createPrioritizedQueue);
     }