Working minors can be the hardest working employees. Yet, laws surrounding child labor can make them difficult to schedule and maintain. Knowledge and understanding are key to employing working minors without fear of breaking the rules. In this article, we will break down a few of those laws to get you started.

Many major authorities monitor child labor laws. If you employ minors, they categorize under child labor laws. Subsequently, heavy penalties are associated with breaking these laws. There are rules that you need to follow as an employer. From working overnights to participating in company outings, regulations change from state to state. Also, your industry may impact your child labor laws. How do you keep up?

Before we continue, the information contained in this article is not a replacement for personalized legal advice and services. Laws and regulations can change at any time. As a best practice, consult a law group that can keep you up to date.

Age Limits

Age really defines the working minors. Laws are strict in regards to age limits. In Florida, minors under fourteen are legally not able to work. Minors that are fourteen and fifteen are able to work, but only when school is not in session. Finally, minors that are sixteen and seventeen still cannot work during school hours. Although, they can work overtime. However, there are isolated special circumstances or allowances. These working minors are handled on a case by case basis.

All Working Minors

There are regulations that apply to all working minors in Florida. For instance, anyone considered a minor cannot operate certain equipment. This includes motorized vehicles like cars, trucks, and even forklifts. There are also certain positions that a minor cannot perform such as cooking. Age determines the abilities and occupations of minors beyond just how long the can remain on the clock.

Clocked In Or On Break

First of all, let’s put a name to the authorities that govern employment laws: Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), IRS, Florida Commission on Human Relations, Florida Department of Revenue, Florida Department of Labor, and Florida Office of Financial Regulation. Each authority has a hand in how your business should manage the time of working minors.

This includes time spent clocked in as well as time spent on break. In some instances, even a minute over these times can mean serious fines for the business. Unfortunately, even innocent accidents made by the minor may cause penalties. For instance, if a minor forgets to clock out or is unable to leave a client, they may miss the timed threshold. Business owners must record and report instances where working minors violate clocked time. Reports are delivered to the governing authority for your business type.

This information in this article barely scratches the surface of child labor laws. The laws that apply to your industry most likely have other regulations that you need to know. For this reason, it is best to seek counsel on these laws. At Dowd Law, we can take the stress out of having working minors. We can explain the laws specific to you without all the legalese. Call us for a consultation, and let’s get your business up and running.