Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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WASHINGTON -- Summer jobs in construction may be a young person’s first work experience, and the U.S. Department of Labor wants to make sure it’s a safe and healthy one. To that end, the department has launched a new nationwide outreach campaign to increase awareness about youth employment laws in construction.

The campaign is part of the department’s ongoing YouthRules! Initiative which promotes positive and safe work experiences for young workers by educating parents, teens, employers and educators about the types of jobs teens can hold and the number of hours they can work.

“Federal rules prohibit the employment of minors under age 16 in construction and on construction sites,” said Victoria A. Lipnic, assistant secretary for employment standards. “As we approach the busiest time of the year for teen employment, it’s important to ensure that everyone knows the rules so our young people will have the most rewarding and safest work experiences possible.”

As part of the Youth Working in Construction Campaign, an electronic seminar on CD-ROM is available on the Labor Department’s Web site. Last year, regulations expanding protections for young workers made significant changes affecting the construction industry. This presentation details those changes. The CD-ROM describes prohibited equipment and activities and uses video clips depicting real-life examples of violations to make the information easy to understand for both employers and young workers.

While this year there is a greater emphasis on jobs in the construction industry, the department remains committed to ensuring that all young workers are legally employed – especially in industries such as restaurants and retail that hire the greatest number of youth. For maximum impact, the department has also developed print and radio public service announcements (PSAs) and distributed them across the country to increase awareness about the laws that apply to all young workers.

To download the Youth Working in Construction electronic seminar on CD-ROM, as well as the print PSA, log on to www.youthrules.dol.gov. For more information about the jobs youth may perform and the number of hours they may work, call the department’s toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE. Copies of the CD-ROM are available from the department’s Wage and Hour Division’s on-line ordering system at www.wagehour.dol.gov.

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U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at (202) 693-7828 or TTY (202) 693-7755. The Labor Department is committed to providing America’s employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit www.dol.gov/compliance.