The Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor administers a number of Federal laws which set basic labor standards.  Coverage under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is very broad.  The FLSA applies to all employees of certain enterprises having workers engaged in interstate commerce, producing goods for interstate commerce, or otherwise working on goods or materials that have been moved in or produced for such commerce by any person, or:

• Has an annual dollar volume of business in excess of $500,000, or
• Federal, state or local government agency, hospital, institution primarily engaged in the care of individuals who are sick, aged, mentally ill or disabled, preschool,elementary or secondary schools and institutions of higher education which are covered under the FLSA, regardless of their annual dollar volume of business.

The FLSA child labor provisions are designed to protect the educational opportunities of minors and prohibit their employment in jobs and under conditions detrimental to their health or well-being.  The provisions include restrictions on hours of work for minors under 16 years old and lists hazardous occupation orders for both farm and nonfarm jobs.

Youths 16 and 17 years old may perform any nonhazardous job, for unlimited hours; and;
Youths 14 and 15 years old may work outside school hours in various non-manufacturing, non-mining, nonhazardous jobs under the following conditions:

DURING SCHOOL

• No more than three hours on a school day.
• No more than 18 hours in a school week.
• Work may not begin before 7:00 a.m.
• Work may not end after 7:00 p.m.

DURING SUMMER (June 1 through Labor Day):

• No more than eight hours per day.
• No more than 40 hours per week.
• Work may not begin before 7:00 a.m.
• Work may not end after 9:00 p.m.

Fourteen is the minimum age for most nonfarm work.  However, at any age, youths may deliver newspapers; perform in radio, television, movie or theatrical productions; work for parents in their own nonfarm business (except in manufacturing or on hazardous jobs) or gather evergreens and make evergreen wreaths.

There are 17 hazardous occupation orders which apply either on an industry basis, specifying the occupations in the industry that are not covered, or on an occupational basis, irrespective of the industry in which the occupation is found.

The hazard occupation orders apply to the employment of minors under 18 years of age and include:

• Manufacturing and storing explosives.
• Motor-vehicle driving and outside helper.
• Coal mining.
• Logging and saw milling.
• Power-driven woodworking machines.
• Exposure to radioactive substances.
• Power-driven hoisting apparatus.
• Power-driven metal forming, punching and shearing machines.
• Mining, other than coal mining.
• Slaughtering, meat-packing, processing or rendering.
• Power-driven bakery machines.
• Power-driven paper products machines.
• Manufacturing brick, tile and kindred products.
• Power-driven circular saws, band saws and guillotine shears
• Wrecking, demolition and shipbreaking operations.
• Roofing operations.
• Excavation operations.

Missouri child labor laws differ from federal laws with regard to how late and how many hours 14 or 15-year-olds may work.  Federal law is more stringent and will generally apply to hours of work.  Also, there are penalties for persons who violate the federal law.  Fines up to $10,000 per minor may be assessed.

For more information about the federal child labor laws contact the U.S. Department of Labor at:

Telephone (Toll-Free): (866) 487-9243

Web Site: http://www.dol.gov

Local Offices: