Young workers are employees under 18 years of age. In the United States, they are protected by the same OSHA safety and health rules as adult workers, and also by the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which limit the hours they can work and the jobs they can do.
Young workers are often new to the workforce, doing their first job or using equipment for the first time. They may hesitate to ask questions or speak up about hazards. Employers need to combine legal compliance with closer training and supervision to keep them safe.
What Are Young Workers?
In federal child labor law, the key age bands are under 14, 14 and 15, and 16 and 17. Once a worker turns 18, the federal youth employment provisions no longer apply. Safety programs sometimes use a broader definition. NIOSH research on young worker injuries, for example, often looks at workers aged 15 to 24.
Young workers are common in retail, food service, grocery, hospitality, agriculture, recreation and seasonal work, and they also work in warehousing and manufacturing through internships and work-based learning programs.
Why Young Worker Safety Matters
NIOSH researchers reported in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that about 3.2 million nonfatal occupational injuries to workers aged 15 to 24 were treated in emergency departments from 2012 to 2018. Annual injury rates for workers aged 15 to 24 were 1.2 to 2.3 times higher than for workers aged 25 to 44, and workers aged 18 to 19 had the highest rate.
Factors behind the higher risk include:
- Lack of experience recognizing hazards.
- Less training and familiarity with equipment and procedures.
- Reluctance to ask questions or report unsafe conditions.
- Pressure to work quickly or take on tasks beyond their role.
- Assignment to jobs that child labor law prohibits for their age.
OSHA Requirements and Young Workers
OSHA standards apply to all employees regardless of age. Young workers have the same rights as other workers, including the right to a safe workplace, to training in a language and vocabulary they understand, and to report injuries and hazards without retaliation. Some OSHA rules include age-specific provisions. For example, the ionizing radiation standard, 29 CFR 1910.1096, limits workers under 18 to 10 percent of the adult dose limits (see X-ray radiation safety).
OSHA's guidance on employer responsibilities for young workers recommends that employers know and follow child labor laws, train young workers to recognize hazards and use safe work practices, assign mentors, encourage questions, label equipment young workers may not use, and tell them exactly what to do if they are hurt. OSHA notes that first-line supervisors have the greatest opportunity to protect young workers and influence their work habits.
Federal Child Labor Rules (FLSA)
The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division enforces the FLSA child labor provisions. Key rules for nonagricultural work, summarized in WHD Fact Sheet #43, include:
Minimum Ages
- Under 14: generally may not be employed in covered nonagricultural work, with limited exceptions such as delivering newspapers and acting.
- 14 and 15: may work outside school hours in certain non-manufacturing, non-hazardous jobs under limits on hours and duties.
- 16 and 17: may work unlimited hours in any job not declared hazardous.
Hours for 14- and 15-Year-Olds
- Outside school hours only.
- No more than 3 hours on a school day, including Fridays, and 8 hours on a non-school day.
- No more than 18 hours in a school week and 40 hours in a non-school week.
- Only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., extended to 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day.
Job Restrictions for 14- and 15-Year-Olds
Workers this age may not, among other things, work in baking operations, work on ladders or scaffolds, or operate power-driven machinery other than office machines. Cooking is limited to specific permitted methods. Certified 15-year-olds may work as lifeguards at traditional swimming pools and water amusement parks.
Hazardous Occupations Orders
The Secretary of Labor has issued 17 Hazardous Occupations Orders (HOs) that prohibit or restrict workers under 18 from certain nonagricultural jobs. In order, they cover:
- Explosives
- Motor vehicle driving
- Coal mining
- Forestry, logging and sawmilling
- Power-driven woodworking machines
- Exposure to radioactive substances
- Power-driven hoisting apparatus, including forklifts
- Power-driven metal-forming machines
- Non-coal mining
- Meat processing and slaughtering
- Power-driven bakery machines
- Balers, compactors and paper-products machines
- Brick and tile manufacturing
- Power-driven circular saws, band saws, chain saws and similar cutting tools
- Wrecking and demolition
- Roofing
- Trenching and excavation
HO 2 bans most minors from driving on public roads, although 17-year-olds may drive cars or small trucks during daylight hours under strict limits. HO 6 prohibits work involving exposure to ionizing radiation in excess of 0.5 rem per year. Apprentices and student-learners at least 16 years old in qualifying programs have limited exemptions from several HOs. Separate rules apply to agricultural employment.
State Laws
Many states have their own child labor laws, including work permit requirements and stricter hour limits. Federal law does not require work permits, but many states do. When federal and state rules differ, employers must follow the more protective standard.
Keeping Young Workers Safe: Step by Step
- Verify age. Confirm each new hire's age and keep records as required.
- Check job assignments. Compare every task against the FLSA hour limits, job restrictions and Hazardous Occupations Orders, plus state law.
- Label restricted equipment. Mark forklifts, balers, compactors, slicers and other equipment that minors may not operate.
- Train before work starts. Cover the hazards of the job, safe procedures, PPE, emergency procedures and how to report injuries.
- Assign a mentor. Pair the young worker with an experienced employee.
- Supervise closely. Check in frequently, especially in the first weeks and on new tasks.
- Encourage reporting. Make clear that questions, concerns and near miss reports are welcome.
- Schedule carefully. Build schedules that respect hour limits during the school year and summer.
Examples of Young Worker Hazards
- A 16-year-old grocery employee is asked to load a cardboard baler, which HO 12 restricts.
- A 15-year-old restaurant worker is scheduled until 10 p.m. on a school night, beyond the federal limit.
- A 17-year-old warehouse helper is told to move pallets with a forklift, which HO 7 prohibits.
- A new teen worker cuts a hand on a box cutter after receiving no training on safe cutting techniques.
Best Practices
- Communicate in plain language and confirm understanding with demonstrations, not just signatures.
- Give supervisors a quick reference showing which tasks and equipment are off limits for each age group.
- Include young worker restrictions in your job hazard analysis for each role.
- Use toolbox talks to reinforce safe habits.
- Review incidents involving young workers promptly and share lessons with supervisors.
- For temporary young workers, coordinate safety responsibilities with the staffing agency.
How SMS360 Helps
The SMS360 Training Management module helps employers assign role-based training to young workers before they start, record completion and track refresher needs. Training records make it easier to show that minors were trained on the hazards of their jobs, and supervisors can see at a glance which workers are qualified for which tasks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What jobs can a 16-year-old not do?
Workers aged 16 and 17 may not perform work covered by the 17 Hazardous Occupations Orders, such as operating forklifts and other power-driven hoisting equipment, loading or operating most balers and compactors, roofing, trenching, demolition and most driving on public roads. State laws may add further restrictions.
How many hours can a 15-year-old work?
Under federal law, 14- and 15-year-olds may work no more than 3 hours 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, and only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., or 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day.
Do OSHA rules apply differently to young workers?
Most OSHA standards apply equally to all workers. A few contain age-specific provisions, such as lower radiation dose limits for workers under 18. Young workers also have the same rights to training, safe conditions and protection from retaliation as adult workers.
Who enforces child labor laws?
The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division enforces the federal child labor provisions of the FLSA. State labor departments enforce state child labor laws. OSHA enforces workplace safety and health standards for workers of all ages.
