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Workplace Safety & Health

Youth Worker Safety & Health

Congress sought to promote the safety, health, well-being, and opportunities for the education of young workers by including the child labor provisions in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA sets limits on the hours youth under the age of 18 may work and the occupations in which such young workers may be employed. The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment Standards Administration's (ESA) Wage and Hour Division, through its enforcement and administration of the FLSA, has primary responsibility for the protection of young workers. All Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules also apply to young workers. Youth under age 18 cannot work in the mining industry. All states have rules concerning the employment of young workers. When federal and state standards are different, the rules that provide the most protection to young workers apply.