What are the age requirements for minors operating machinery?
age requirements The Fair Labor Standards Act is responsible for setting hours, wages, and safety requirements for minors. A minor, according to the [Department of Labor, is anyone under the age of 18. But not all minors are eligible for the same work. A minor’s ability to operate machinery, for instance, depends on a number […]
age requirements
The Fair Labor Standards Act is responsible for setting hours, wages, and safety requirements for minors. A minor, according to the [Department of Labor, is anyone under the age of 18. But not all minors are eligible for the same work. A minor’s ability to operate machinery, for instance, depends on a number of factors including the age of the minor, the kind of machinery, and the type of job that the minor will potentially be doing.
Minors 14 – 15
14 to 15-year-olds may work with:
- Vacuums and floor waxers
- Bicycles
- Cash registers
- Cooking grills that don’t have an open flame, and fryers that have automatically raising and lowering baskets
14 to 15-year-olds may not perform:
- Baking
- Operating or assisting operation of power driven machinery
- All work involving ladders, scaffolds, or similar equipment
Minors 16 – 17
May perform any non-hazardous job (outlined below.)
Hazardous Work – Not For Minors
Minors aren’t permitted to work jobs deemed hazardous by the federal government. A few of these roles include:
- Driving a motor vehicle, or operating outside of a moving motor vehicle
- Coal mining
- Logging or sawmilling
- Meat packing or processing
- Operating power-driven bakery machines
- Operating power driven woodworking, metal-forming, or paper producing machines
- Roofing work
Conclusion
Minors are generally not allowed to operate power-driven machinery for work, or to perform hazardous jobs. For more specific inquiries, check out the lists of prohibited/allowable work for minors in the links below, and don’t forget to check out your state’s laws for any additional provisions.
Helpful Links:
Hiring Minors for Your Business – Findlaw.com
Prohibited Occupations for Non-Agricultural Employees – DOL.gov
