There's also no guarantee that you will ever be paid for work or paid the minimum wage. An employer who cuts corners is not an employer one can count on for a safe workplace. Cash payments for neighborhood babysitting, lawn care, or petsitting is acceptable. Business establishments should always put workers on the payroll. Roofing, excavation, and demolition are prohibited for workers under age 18.
Construction is a dangerous occupation for all workers and construction sites are full of hazards.
Young workers are at risk even when they are not engaged in prohibited work. For example, most fatalities among construction workers are the result of falls. Painting, cleaning gutters, installing windows, and cleaning chimneys are examples of work in heights that is not prohibited for teens 16 years and older. This list was compiled by the National Consumers League based upon safety data. We thank the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for their excellent research in the area of adolescent occupational injuries.