U.S. Department of Labor
FLSA - Child Labor Rules
Eighteen is the minimum age for employment in non-agricultural occupations declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor. The rules prohibiting working in hazardous occupations (HO) apply either on an industry basis, or on an occupational basis no matter what industry the job is in. Parents employing their own children are subject to these same rules. General exemptions apply to all of these occupations, while limited apprentice/student-learner exemptions apply to those occupations marked with an *.
These rules prohibit work in, or with the following:
HO 1.
Manufacturing and storing of explosives.
HO 2.
Driving a motor vehicle and being an outside helper on a motor vehicle.
HO 3.
Coal mining.
HO 4.
Forest fire fighting and fire prevention, timber tract management, forestry services, logging, and saw mill occupations.
HO 5.*
Power-driven woodworking machines.
HO 6.
Exposure to radioactive substances.
HO 7.
Power-driven hoisting apparatus.
HO 8.*
Power-driven metal-forming, punching, and shearing machines.
HO 9.
Mining, other than coal mining.
HO 10.
Meat and poultry packing or processing (including the use of power-driven meat slicing machines).
HO 11.
Power-driven bakery machines.
HO 12.*
Balers, compactors, and paper-products machines.
HO 13.
Manufacturing brick, tile, and related products.
HO 14.*
Power-driven circular saws, band saws, guillotine shears, chain saws, reciprocating saws, wood chippers, and abrasive cutting discs.
HO 15.
Wrecking, demolition, and shipbreaking operations.
HO 16.*
Roofing operations and all work on or about a roof.
HO 17.*
Excavation operations.
You can obtain more detail about any, or all of the above listings, by reviewing the child labor regulations.
