Hiring Young Workers
You must comply with child labor laws if you hire employees who are under the age of 18.
Federal and state laws limit your right to hire employees younger than 18 years of age. Generally, these laws seek to protect younger workers by restricting the type of work they can do and the number of hours they can work.
Prior to hiring any worker younger than 18, you should check both federal and state law. The federal law is described below, but your state's laws may be more protective of younger workers. To find out about your state's child labor laws, contact your state department of labor.
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA, 29 U.S.C. §§ 2201 and following) is the federal law that governs child labor. Virtually all employers and businesses must follow the FLSA, although a handful of businesses, including small farms, are not required to. To find out about exceptions to FLSA requirements, refer to the website of the U.S. Department of Labor, the federal agency that enforces the FLSA, at www.dol.gov.
Hazardous Jobs
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, workers younger than 18 may never perform the following types of hazardous jobs (some exceptions are made for apprentices and students):
- manufacturing or storing explosives
- driving a motor vehicle and being an outside helper on a motor vehicle
- coal or other mining
- logging and sawmilling
- anything involving power-driven wood-working machines
- anything involving exposure to radioactive substances and to ionizing radiations
- anything involving power-driven hoisting equipment
- anything involving power-driven metal-forming, punching, and shearing machines
- meat packing or processing (including anything involving power-driven meat slicing machines)
- anything involving power-driven bakery machines
- anything involving power-driven paper-products machines
- manufacturing brick, tile, and related products
- anything involving power-driven circular saws, band saws, or guillotine shears
- wrecking, demolition, or ship-breaking operations
- roofing and work performed on or near roofs, including installing or working on antennas and roof-top appliances, or
- excavation operations.
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