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FLSA - Child Labor Rules

The Secretary of Labor has found and declared that the following non-agricultural occupations are hazardous for young workers under 18 years of age. No youth under 18 may be employed at any time in these occupations, unless specifically exempt. General exemptions apply to all of these occupations, while limited apprentice/student-learner exemptions apply to those occupations marked with an *. A description of these exemptions follows the hazardous occupations list.

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. 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.

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