Every year, millions of teens work in part-time 

or summer jobs. Early work experiences can 

A Quick Look at the 

Fair Labor Standards Act 

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) youth employment provisions are designed to protect young workers by limiting the 

types of jobs, the number of hours, and/or the times of day they 

may work. The provisions differ based on the age of the minor 

7. Power-driven hoisting equipment 

8. Power-driven metal-forming, punching, and shearing 

machines* 

9. Mining, other than coal 

10. Meat packing and meat and poultry processing, including 

using power-driven meat slicing machines in retail and 

food service establishment* 

11. Power-driven bakery machines, including mixers 

12. Balers, compactors, and power-driven paper products 

machines* 

13. Manufacturing brick, tile, and related products 

14. Power-driven circular saws, band saws, and guillotine 

★ restaurants 

★ movie theaters 

★ gasoline service stations 

Fourteen- and 15-year-olds may not work in the following 

occupations: 

★ communications or public utilities jobs 

★ construction or repair jobs 

★ driving a motor vehicle or helping a driver 

★ manufacturing, mining, and processing occupations 

★ using power-driven machinery hoising apparatus or, machinery 

other than typical office machines 

★ public messenger jobs 

Again, it is important to check with your State Department of 

Labor to learn how the State rules apply to this age group. You 

can find the State rules and rules for agricultural work by logging 

onto www.youthrules.dol.gov. 

Visit youthrules.dol.gov 

U.S. Department of Labor 

www.dol.gov/whd 

1-866-4US-WAGE 

(1-866-487-9243) 

Rev. June 2012 - WH 1509 

Disclaimer 

The Department of Labor is providing this 

information as a public service. This information and 

related materials are presented to give the public 

access to information on Department of Labor 

programs. You should be aware that, while we try 

to keep the information timely and accurate, there 

will often be a delay between official publication 

of materials and the modification of these 

pages. Therefore, we make no express or implied 

guarantees. The Federal Register and the Code of 

Federal Regulations remain the official sources for 

regulatory information published by the Department 

of Labor. We will make every effort to correct errors 

brought to our attention. 

be rewarding for young workers—providing 

great opportunities for teens to learn important 

work skills. 

Through the YouthRules! initiative, the U.S. 

Department of Labor and its strategic partners seek 

to promote positive and safe work experiences for 

young workers. YouthRules! strives to educate 

teens, parents, educators, employers, and the public 

on Federal and State rules regarding young workers. 

Components of the initiative include a website 

(www.youthrules.dol.gov), printed materials like 

this guide, outreach events, training seminars, and 

partnering activities. 

This guide outlines what teens can and cannot do 

in nonagricultural jobs and what hours they may 

be employed. In addition to presenting proven 

tips that will help ensure teens learn the habit of 

good workplace safety, this guide also provides 

important information about accessing State youth 

employment standards and occupational safety and 

health provisions. YouthRules! helps all of us 

work together to ensure young workers have safe 

and rewarding employment experiences. 

and whether the youth is engaged in agricultural or nonagricultural work. 

18 Years of Age 

Once a youth reaches 18 years of age, he or she is no longer 

subject to the Federal child labor provisions. 

16 and 17 Years of Age 

Hours Rules: 

Under the FLSA, 16- and 17-year-olds may be employed for 

unlimited hours in any nonagricultural occupation other than 

those declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor (see 

below). Several States do restrict the number of hours and 

times of day that this age group may be employed. Be sure to 

check with your State Department of Labor. You can find the 

State rules by logging onto www.youthrules.dol.gov. 

Occupation Rules: 

Seventeen non-farm jobs determined to be hazardous by the 

Secretary of Labor, are prohibited for young workers below the 

age of 18. Generally youth may not work at jobs that involve: 

1.	 Manufacturing or storing explosives 

2.	 Any driving by 16-year-olds, certain driving for 17-yearolds, and being an outside helper on a motor vehicle 

(limited driving by 17-year-olds is permitted) 

3.	 Coal mining 

4.	 Logging and sawmilling, forest fire prevention, forest fire 

fighting, timber tract management, and forestry services 

5.	 Power-driven woodworking machines* 

6.	 Exposure to radioactive substances and to ionizing radiations 

shears* 

15. Wrecking, demolition, and ship breaking operations 

16. Roofing occupations and all work on or about a roof* 

17. Excavation operations* 

*Limited exemptions are provided for apprentices and student-learners under specified standards. 

14 and 15 Years of Age 

Hours Rules: 

14- and 15-year-olds may work outside of school hours in 

certain jobs (see below) for up to: 

★ 3 hours on a school day, including Fridays 

★ 18 hours in a school week 

★ 8 hours on a non-school day 

★ 40 hours in a non-school week 

Also, the work must be performed between the hours of 7 

a.m. and 7 p.m., except from June 1 through Labor Day, when 

the evening hour is extended to 9:00 p.m. Several States also 

regulate the hours that young workers under age 18 may work, 

so check with your State Department of Labor. You can find the 

State rules by logging onto www.youthrules.dol.gov. 

Occupation Rules: 

The regulations contain a specific list of permitted occupations 

for 14- and 15-year-olds. Those jobs include those generally 

located in: 

★ offices ★ baseball parks 

★ grocery stores ★ schools 

★ retail stores ★ amusement parks 

★ transporting of persons or property
 

★ work in workrooms where products are manufactured, mined,
 

or processed 

★ occupations in warehousing and storage or 

★ youth peddling, door-to-door sales, and “sign waving” 

★ poultry catching 

★ using meat slicers 

★ cooking over an open flame 

In addition, 14- and 15-year-olds may not work in any job or 

occupation declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor and 

listed in the previous section 16 and 17 Years of Age: Occupation 

Rules of this guide. 

13 Years of Age or Younger 

Fourteen is generally the minimum age for employment under 

the FLSA. However, there are some jobs that are specifically 

exempted from the youth employment rules and may be performed by those under 14 years of age. 

Young workers under 14 years of age may generally: 

★ Deliver newspapers 

★ Work as a baby-sitter on a casual basis 

★ Work as an actor or performer in motion pictures, television, 

theater, or radio 

★ Work in a business solely owned or operated by the youth’s 

parents. However, parents are prohibited from employing their children in manufacturing, mining, or any other 

occupation declared hazardous for young workers by the 

Secretary of Labor. (See list of hazardous occupations). 
 

 

 

Employer’s Safety Checklist For 

Young Workers 

To be sure, some tasks and tools present more of a hazard than 

others. Many hazardous activities are limited or prohibited for 

young people by the FLSA (see Occupation Rules for 16 and 

17 Years of Age). But employers can take some simple steps to 

explains the firm’s policy and requirements for complying 

with the youth employment rules. A sample card is available 

on the YouthRules! website at www.youthrules.dol.gov. 

★ Many employers have taken the simple, but critical step of 

training all their supervisors on the requirements of the FLSA. 

Refresher training at periodical intervals is equally important. 

★ Some employers place special "Warning Stickers" on equipResources to Tap 

For information about employment standards that apply 

to young workers or about YouthRules!, contact the 

Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division toll free at 

(866) 4USWAGE or (866) 487-9243. 

For questions or to get information or advice, report an emerOnce young workers know what to do and have demonstrated 

that they can do the job right, check again later to be sure 

they are continuing to do the task correctly. Don’t let them 

take shortcuts with safety. Be sure, too, that supervisors and 

coworkers set a good example by following all the appropriate 

rules as well. 

2. Show Them How to Use Safety Equipment* 

EMPLOYER’S 

POCKET GUIDE 

ON YOUTH 

EMPLOYMENT 

U. S. Department of Labor 

youthrules.dol.gov 

prevent injuries to working teens. 

★ Understand and comply with the Federal and State youth 

employment and occupational safety and health rules. 

★ Stress safety, particularly among first-line supervisors who 

have the greatest opportunity to influence teens and their 

work habits. They are important role models. Make sure that 

young workers are appropriately trained and supervised to 

prevent injuries and hazardous exposures. 

★ Work with supervisors and experienced workers to develop 

an injury and illness prevention program and to help identify 

and solve safety and health problems. Many injuries can be 

prevented through simple work redesign. 

★ Train young workers to recognize hazards and to use safe 

work practices. This is especially important since teens often 

have little work experience and new workers are at a disproportionate risk of injury. 

★ Make sure young workers know the Federal and State youth 

employment rules and frequently remind them that they 

must be obeyed. Let them know safety is a priority. 

Good Ideas from Other Employers 

Take advantage of others’ experiences. Here are some 

examples of compliance tips that are being used successfully 

by employers across the country. 

★ Different colored vests are issued to employees under the age 

of 18 by one chain of convenience stores.That way, supervisors 

know who is not allowed to operate the electric meat slicer. 

★ An employer in the quick service industry, with over 8,000 

young workers, developed a computerized tracking system 

ment that young workers may not legally operate or clean. As 

part of YouthRules!, the Department of Labor is making 

these stickers available to employers. In addition, these stickers can be downloaded at www.youthrules.dol.gov. 

★ Many employers conduct their own compliance checks of 

their businesses to ensure they achieve and maintain compliance with all youth employment rules. For more information about this process and to obtain a sample compliance 

questionnaire visit www.youthrules.dol.gov. 

Preparing Young Workers 

to Work Safely 

Young workers want to do a good job but they need help to 

work safely. Their inexperience works against them and they 

may not feel comfortable asking questions. Employers can take 

steps to help prepare youth to work safely. What they learn, 

they will take with them throughout their working lives. 

1. Double Check Tasks 

Supervisors and coworkers can help compensate for inexperience by showing teens how to do the job correctly. What may be 

obvious to an employee may not be so clear to a teen tackling 

a task for the first time. Time spent showing a young worker the 

best way to handle a job will be paid back threefold through 

work done right and without harm to products or injury to the 

worker. Training youth to work safely is a multi-step process: 

★ Give them clear instructions and tell them what safety 

precautions to take. 

★ Ask them to repeat your instructions and give them an 

opportunity to ask questions. 

The FLSA prohibits young workers from doing tasks identified 

as particularly hazardous, including operating heavy equipment, hoist driving, and using electric meat slicers. In addition, 

younger minors are prohibited from working late at night and 

using certain power tools. It is important for young workers to 

know about safety features of equipment or facilities including 

where safety equipment is located, how to use it, and how to 

care for it. 

3. Prepare Teens for Emergencies 

Every worker needs to be ready to handle an emergency. You 

should prepare your young workers to escape a fire, handle 

potentially violent customers, deal with power outages—or 

face any other risks that affect your business. Youths also need 

to know who to go to if an injury should occur and they need 

first aid or medical care. 

4. Set Up a Safety and Health Program 

A strong safety and health program involving every worker at 

your business is your best defense against workplace injuries. 

For help in establishing or improving a safety and health 

program, contact the Department’s Occupational Safety and 

Health Administration (OSHA). See next section. 

*Most safety equipment must be provided at no cost to workers. 

gency, report a fatality or catastrophe, order educational material or to file a complaint, contact your nearest OSHA office, 

visit www.osha.gov or call OSHA at 1-800-321-OSHA (6742). 

You can also obtain both general and detailed information about rules for youth employment by visiting our 

YouthRules! website at www.youthrules.dol.gov. 

The website provides links to several departmental sites including: 

★ Wage and Hour Division (WHD) 

(www.dol.gov/whd) which enforces Federal minimum wage, 

overtime pay, recordkeeping, and child labor requirements 

of the Fair Labor Standards Act. WHD also enforces the 

Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, the 

Employee Polygraph Protection Act, the Family and Medical 

Leave Act, the Davis Bacon Act, the Service Contract Act and 

other statutes applicable to Federal contracts for construction 

and for the provision of goods and services. 

★ Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration (OSHA) 

(www.osha.gov) which Congress created with the 

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to ensure safe 

and healthful working conditions for workers by setting and 

enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach 

education and assistance. OSHA has a variety of educational 

materials and electronic tools available for young workers 

and employers of young workers. Find them at www.osha. 

gov/youngworkers. 

★ Employment and Training Administration (ETA) 

(www.doleta.gov) which seeks to build up the labor market 

through the training of the workforce and the placement of 

workers in jobs through employment services. From this site you 

to ensure that workers under 16 years of age are not scheduled for too many hours during school weeks. 

★ One supermarket issues teens a laminated, pocket-sized 

“Minor Policy Card” on the first day of work. The card 

★ Show them how to perform the task. 

★ Watch them as they do the task, correcting any mistakes. 

★ Ask if they have any additional questions. 

can access Summer Jobs+ (www.dol.gov/summerjobs/), a site 

to link youth with available summer jobs. You can also access 

America’s Job Bank (www.ajb.org), the world’s largest pool of 

active job opportunities.