Employing Teens? Here's What the Fed Requires
Each year, millions of teenagers take on part-time or summertime jobs. Early work experiences can be very rewarding, while at the same time provide teens with great opportunities to learn important work skills. If you're employing teens, the Department of Labor oversees the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) child labor provisions. This specifies the hours your workers can work, the jobs they may perform and the jobs that are designated too hazardous for them to perform. The Act's regulations are outlined below, along with additional steps you can take to keep young workers safe.
Age Limitations by Type of Work
Children age 13 and under are limited to the following types of jobs:
- Delivering newspapers
- Baby-sitting
- Acting or performing in motion pictures, radio, television or theater
- Working in businesses solely owned or operated by parents
- Working on farms owned or operated by parents.
When children reach age 14, the following types of jobs become acceptable:
- Office
- Grocery store
- Retail store
- Restaurant
- Movie theater
- Baseball park
- Amusement park
- Gasoline service station
However, at age 14, these jobs are not allowed:
- Communications or public utilities jobs
- Construction or repair jobs
- Driving a motor vehicle or helping a driver
- Manufacturing and mining occupations
- Power-driven machinery or hoisting apparatus other than typical office machines
- Processing occupations
- Public messenger jobs
- Transporting of person or property
- Workrooms where products are manufactured, mined or processed
- Warehousing and storage
- Any other job or occupation declared hazardous by the Department of Labor
At age 16, a teen may work in any job that has not been declared hazardous by the Department of Labor.
Hazardous Occupations
Hazardous Occupations, as declared by the Department of Labor (not allowed for anyone under the age of 18), include:
- Manufacturing and storing of explosives
- Driving a motor vehicle and being an outside helper on a motor vehicle
- Coal mining
- Mining other than coal mining
- Logging and saw milling
- Power-driven woodworking machines
- Exposure to radioactive substances
- Power-driven hoisting apparatus
- Power-driven metal forming, punching and shearing machines
- Meat packing or processing (including the use of power-driven meat slicing machines)
- Power-driven paper-product machines
- Manufacturing brick, tile and related products
- Power-driven paper-product machines
- Power-driven circular saws, band saws and guillotine shears
- Wrecking demolition and ship-breaking operations
- Roofing operations
- Excavation operations
Once a person turns 18, he or she may working any job for as many hours as desired. Child labor rules no longer apply.
Work Hour Regulations by Age
Under Age 12
If a child is younger than 12, he or she may only work on farms, provided the farm is not required to pay the federal minimum wage. Only "small farms" are exempt from the minimum wage requirements. By definition, "small" means any farm that did not use more then 500 "man-days" of agricultural labor in any calendar quarter during the preceding calendar year. "man-day" means any day during which an employee works at least one hour.
If the farm is "small," workers under 12 years of age may be employed in non-hazardous jobs, but only during hours when school is not in session, and only with a parent's permission.
Age 12-13
If a child is 12 or 13 years of age, he or she may only work in a agriculture on a farm if a parent has given written permission, or a parent is working on the same farm. Again, the work can only be performed during hours when school is not in session and in non-hazardous jobs.
Age 14-15
If a child is 14 or 15 years of age, he or she may work no more than:
- 3 hours per day on a school day, 18 hours in a school week,
- 8 hours on a non-school day, and
- 40 hours in a non-school week.
Additionally, they may work outside of school hours from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. The only exception is from June 1 through Labor Day, when 14 and 15-year olds may work until 9 p.m.
Age 16 and Older
If a worker is age 16 or older, he or she may work any day, any time of day, and for any number of hours. There are no restrictions on the work hours of children age 16 or older.
Recommendations for Employers
In addition to understanding labor laws, there are additional steps you can take to protect young workers:
- Recognize potential hazards
- Eliminate any issues present in your workplace that could injure a young worker
- Make sure that equipment used by workers is safe and legal
Supervise young workers
- Be certain that young workers are appropriately supervised at all times
- Inform supervisors and adult workers of the tasks that teens should not perform
- Label the equipment that teens cannot use, or color-code their uniforms so that others know they may not perform certain tasks
- Periodically verify through supervisors that teens are obeying safety practices
Provide Training
- Educate young workers to ensure that they recognize hazards and are competent regarding safe working practices
- Training should include how to prepare for fires, accidents, violent situations and protocol for injuries. Teens need to know that they have a right to file a claim to cover their medical benefits and lost work time if they are injured
- Have young workers demonstrate that they can perform assigned task safely and correctly
Use the buddy system
- Implement a mentoring or buddy system for new young workers. Have either an adult or an experienced teen worker act as a buddy, and answer questions to help the inexperienced worker learn the ropes of the new job
Check equipment safety
- Ensure that equipment used by teen workers is both legal and safe
Develop an injury and illness prevention program
- Work with supervisors and experienced staff members to create a comprehensive safety program that includes an injury and illness prevention initiative
- Identify and solve safety and health problems that arise or typically have been an issue in the past
FAQ's
Who Needs a Work Permit?
Any minor from 11 up to 18 years of age and not specifically exempted from the Youth Employment Standards Act (P.A. 90 of 1978) and who works in a paid or unpaid position.
Who Issues Work Permits?
Permits are issued by the Chief Administrator (usually Superintendent) of a school district, intermediate school district, public school academy, or non-public school district in which a minor resides or in which the minor's place of employment is located.
Types of Work Permits
Form CA-6 is a pink form and is used for minors who are under 16 years of age.
Form CA-7 is a yellow form and is used for minors who are 16 and 17 years of age.
What is the procedure to legally employ minors with Work Permits?
Minors start the work permit process by completing Section I of either the CA-6 or CA-7 (depending on the minor's age). Section II is the employer's offer of employment and needs to be completed in full.
Additional Resources
For further information contact:
State Wage & Hour Questions
Department of Labor & Economic Growth
517.335.0400
Work Permit Questions
Office of Career and Technical Preparation
517.373.8904
Federal Wage & Hour Questions
1.866.4.USWAGE
Printing Work Permit Forms via the Web
