Laws on Child Labor

The federal government established standards on child labor.

The U.S. government in 1938 created the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which establishes standards for child labor. Standards presented by FLSA apply to full- and part-time work. The FLSA was created protect minors and to ensure their educations. To do so, the law sets the minimum age for working in hazardous environments, sets the minimum age for working in non-hazardous environments, and limits the number of hours minors can work.

Minimum Age for Hazardous Work

The FLSA differentiates between employment in a hazardous work environment in agriculture and hazardous work environment in another industry. The minimum age to work in agriculture is 16. The FLSA views the following as hazardous: operating a tractor in most situations, working from a ladder or scaffold at a height of more than 20 feet, and handling or applying agricultural chemicals that are acutely toxic. The minimum age to work in an industry other than agriculture is 18. The following is considered hazardous by the FLSA: coal mining, manufacturing brick and operating power-driven, wood-working machines.

Minimum Age for Non-Hazardous Work

The FLSA differentiates between employment in a non-hazardous work environment in agriculture and non-hazardous work environment in another industry. The minimum age to work in agriculture is 14. There are some exceptions. One is that children ages 12 and 13 may work in agriculture as long as a parent or guardian is present. The minimum age to work in an industry other than agriculture is 16. There are also exceptions to this rule. One exception to this rule is that children ages 14 and 15 may work at a job as long as the Secretary of Labor determines there is no threat to the child's health or schooling.

Hours of Work

The only law that pertains to children working in agriculture is that they are not allowed to work during school hours. There is no law stating how early or late the child begins or ends work or how many hours a day that children can work. However, outside of agriculture, there are many more restrictions. These restrictions apply directly to 14- and 15-year-old workers. Children are not allowed to work before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. Children cannot work more than three hours on a school day or more than eight hours on a non-school day. Children cannot work more than 18 hours during a school week or more than 40 hours during a non-school week.

References

• Child Labor Coalition: Child Labor in the US