 The federal government has created a number of laws to protect employees from unfair and unsafe practices that are under the control of their employers.  An employer is someone who hires and pays wages to others.  An employee is someone who works for another in return for payment.

 Sets rules that protect workers under the age of 18 from hazardous occupations and long working hours  Provides exemptions in some hazardous occupations for apprentices and vocational education students  Prohibits workers under age 16 from working on construction sites.  Sets the federal minimum wage

 Prohibit job discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or age  Enforced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

 States that employers must provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to eligible employees for certain family and medical reasons  Applies to government employers, public schools, and businesses with 50 or more employees

 Assures safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women  Authorizes enforcement of the standards developed under the Act  Provides research, information, education, and training in the field of occupational safety and health

 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in response to public protest over rising injury and death rates in the U.S. work place.  In 1970, the Occupational Safety and Health Act was enacted to “assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources.”  The OSH Act provides for safe working conditions, inspections, and reviews of and penalties against employers who violate the law.

 OSHA sets and enforces the standards in the act and conducts workplace inspections to ensure employers’ compliance with those standards. A standard is the required level of safety that must be met.  OSHA conducts training programs to educate employers about workplace safety and health issues so that accidents and injuries can be prevented.  OSHA researches emerging safety and health issues to confront problems as technology changes.

 A workplace fatality is a death that takes place in the workplace.  OSHA adopted regulations from the 1962 Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act and its 1969 amendment, the Construction Safety Act, when it created Part 1926, Safety and Health Regulations for Construction.

 Part of OSHA’s mission is to protect the health of teen workers by promoting positive and safe work experiences.  OSHA: determines what jobs are too hazardous for youth workers to perform at all and sets age requirements on those tasks. Provides information to help teenagers become aware of the potential hazards at their workplace and how they can avoid injury while working.

 It is very important to be careful while working and to be aware of hazards in your workplace.  Teens are often injured on the job due to unsafe equipment, stressful working conditions, and trying to work too quickly.  Often teens do not receive adequate safety training and instruction, or adequate (fully and reasonably sufficient) supervision, or are doing jobs that are too unsafe for young people.

 Young people have special safety issues due to their stage of development.  These issues include: Performing tasks outside their usual work assignments for which they have not received training Lacking the experience and physical and emotional maturity needed for certain tasks Being unfamiliar with work requirements and safe operating procedures for certain tasks Not knowing their legal rights and not knowing which work tasks are prohibited by child labor laws Experiencing rapid growth of organ and musculoskeletal systems which make them more likely to be harmed by exposure to hazardous substances May be exposed to asthma-causing agents and substances that disrupt, or interfere with, the function and/or growth of their body systems

 It is especially important for teens to be aware of hazards in the foodservice industry because nearly 30% of foodservice employees are under 20 years of age.  There are potential hazards in serving, working the drive-through, cooking, cleanup, food preparation, and delivery.

 Fair Labor Standards Act Prohibits workers under the age of 18 from doing tasks identified as hazardous, such as driving forklifts or using electric meat slicers. Limits the hours teens can work  If under 18 years of age, you are NOT allowed to operate power-driven machines, including: Power-driven meat slicers and grinders Forklifts Paper balers and cardboard compactors Power-driven bakery equipment, including mixers Power-driven wood working equipment, such as chainsaws and circular saws  Some power-driven equipment may be used in a limited fashion, such as in the case of student learning and apprenticeship.

 If under 16 years of age, you may work any non-hazardous job. You are not allowed to work on construction sites by law  Non-agricultural jobs, you must be 14 in order to be hired.  At 14 and 15 years old, you may work outside of school hours at any non-hazardous job.

 Communications or public utilities jobs  Construction or repair jobs  Driving a motor vehicle or helping a driver  Manufacturing and mining  Power-driven machinery or hoisting apparatus other than typical office machines  Processing occupations  Public messenger jobs  Transporting persons or property  Jobs in workrooms where products are manufactured, mined or processed  Baking  Boiler or engine room work

 Cooking, except with gas or electric grills that do not involve cooking over an open flame and with deep fat fryers that are equipped with and utilize devices that automatically lower and raise the baskets in and out of the hot grease or oil  Freezer or meat cooler work  Loading or unloading goods on to or off of trucks, railcars or conveyors  Meat processing area work  Maintenance or rerpair of a building or its equipment  Operating, setting up, adjusting, cleaning, oiling, or repairing power-driven food slicers, grinders, choppers or cutters and bakery mixers  Outside window washing, or work standing on a window sill, ladder, scaffold or similar equipment  Warehouse work, except office and clerical work

 14 and 15 year olds cannot work more than 3 hours on school days and more than 18 hours per week on school weeks. work before 7 AM or after 7 PM, except in the summer, when they may work until 9PM  16 and 17 year olds may perform any non-hazardous job for unlimited hours

 OSHA exists to help protect the rights of teens.  Refuse to work if you believe in good faith that the job or conditions are dangerous and are exposing you to imminent danger. Imminent danger refers to any conditions or practices in a place of employment which are such that a danger exists which could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious physical harm.

 If you notice a safety hazard at work, report it to your supervisor or boss. If they do not address your concerns, file a complaint with OSHA or your state labor offices.  It is illegal for your employer to punish or fire you for reporting a workplace problem.  Rights as a teen worker that you should insist on are: Working only the hours permitted by law Being provided with proper safety gear Getting health and safety training for all tasks you are responsible for Being paid at least minimum wage for your state Receiving payment for medical care if you get injured or sick because of your job Not being racially or sexually harassed at your job