The results of political changes are hardly ever those which their friends hope or their foes fear. Thomas Henry Huxley, 1825 – 1895
It’s summer or some seasonal kind of hiring time and you’re interested in hiring that reliable fifteen year-old down the street. So, what are the three general areas to know?
- Age,
- Hours, and
- Hazards.
Age: In general, the FLSA establishes the minimum employment age of 14. For instance, a child under 14 may deliver newspapers, baby-sit on occasion, or work in a business completely owned by the parents. Most importantly, the job must not involve hazardous activities prohibited under the FLSA.
Hours: Employers have no federal restrictions on work hours for 16- and 17-year-olds work. On the other hand, workers 14 and 15 years of age may only work up to three hours on school days, eight hours on non-school days, 18 hours per school week, and 40 hours per non-school week. Moreover, their work hours must be between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 until Labor Day).
Hazards: Generally prohibited for workers under 18, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) deemed many types of non-farm work activities as hazardous.
IN other words, there should be no overtime for that fifteen year-old. The list is long what hazardous materials they should not be around. And don’t even think about having them work the forty hour week over Thanksgiving.
Some states can add their own restrictions above and beyond the ones carried under the federal ones.
There’s no need to avoid hiring the under age of 18 – just be familiar with the rules.
Bryan Dear
