Employers that hire workers ages 14 to 17 years must comply with a patchwork of safety regulations that vary sharply by jurisdiction, as some states take steps to loosen restrictions on such employment.
Meanwhile, federal agencies are stepping up their focus on the unsafe working conditions and exploitation that many younger workers face.
On March 8, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law that rolled back requirements that the state verify the ages of workers under 16 and provide them with certificates permitting them to work. And on April 18, the Iowa Senate passed a controversial bill that would allow such younger employees to work longer hours and would eliminate existing rules concerning the serving of alcohol in establishments that employ young workers.
Other states are considering or have considered changes that would make it easier for employers to hire underage workers, drawing opposition from children’s rights advocates who say the changes would endanger such workers.
Yet some experts say workers under 18 years old are still protected, given federal regulations outlined by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.
Arkansas “just stopped requiring the work permits … but all the federal safety and health requirements are still in place,” said Richard Fairfax, Frederick, Maryland-based principal consultant for the National Safety Council. “The only thing that has changed is the state saying, ‘...
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