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LABOR NEWS |
| By Rod Chapel, Director Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations |
For release the week of: May 7, 2007
Governor Blunt Proclaims May “Safe Jobs for Youth” Month
“Safe Jobs for Youth” month is an annual public awareness campaign to highlight the importance of preventing teen injuries on the job. The objective is to protect young workers from injury by raising community awareness about child labor and workplace health and safety issues. To help celebrate this initiative, Governor Matt Blunt proclaimed May as "Safe Jobs for Youth Month.”
With the arrival of summer and thousands of teenagers entering the workforce, it is imperative that parents, employers and young workers are aware of the limitations placed on 14 and 15 year old workers. Inexperience in the workplace leads to safety concerns. In 2006, over 1,400 of Missouri’s youth under the age of 18 suffered injuries severe enough to file incident reports. These injuries can be prevented if you know the laws, make sure teens are doing appropriate work, make sure teen workers are trained and supervised, and help teens learn to ask for help when they need it.
The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations’ Division of Labor Standards, the agency charged with carrying out Missouri’s child labor law, works closely with parents, school officials, young people, employers and state agencies to promote safe working environments for Missouri’s youth.
Young people under the age of 14 are allowed to work only in limited areas such as the entertainment industry (an entertainment permit issued by the Division of Labor Standards is required), babysitting or a paper route. Young people 14 to 15 years of age are permitted to work in a number of different types of businesses, with the majority working in some form of retail or food services. A work certificate from the school superintendent is required during the school year.
Missouri’s child labor law restricts the age, number of hours and occupations youth can work. Prohibited occupations generally involve dangerous equipment (cookers, slicers), dangerous materials (such as toxic chemicals) and dangerous duties (driving, roofing). From June 1 to Labor Day, 14 and 15 year olds may work up to eight hours a day, a maximum of six days or 40 hours a week and only between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. These hours change during the school year.
The Division of Labor Standards offers employers several resources to assist their efforts in keeping their working youth safe. The On-Site Consultation program is a free, confidential program for employers to help them maintain hazard-free workplaces. In addition, staff is available to conduct training, offer presentations, attend conferences and answer general requests for assistance.
Early work experiences for teenagers provides great opportunities to learn important job skills, however it’s imperative that our young people work in environments that protect them from excessive, inappropriate or hazardous labor. I encourage all employers, parents and school officials to visit our website at www.teensworksafe.com or call (573) 751-3403 for more information.
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