You're the boss-
Teen worker safety is your responsibility.
Here's what you can do!
1 Know the Laws
Understand and comply with state and federal child labor laws and occupational
safety and health (OSHA) regulations. Child labor laws prohibit teens from working
late or long hours and from performing certain hazardous tasks. OSHA regulations
that apply to your business cover all employees, regardless of age.
2 Make Sure Teens Under 16 Have Work Permits
Before starting a new job, a Maine teen under 16 years old must obtain a work
permit from the school department where he or she lives. They cannot start work
until the Maine Department of Labor approves the permit. Teens under 16 must
have a work permit even if they do not attend school. You must keep permits
on site until the teen no longer works for you. Work permits are issued for
a particular job and a particular employer; teens are only allowed to do the
work for which the permit was issued.
3 Identify and Eliminate Hazards
Start by identifying potential hazards and reviewing past injuries. Simple
redesign of work areas, tasks, procedures or equipment can often eliminate hazards
without expensive changes. For free help identifying and controlling hazards,
call SafetyWorks! at 1-877-SAFE-345 (TTY: 1-800-794-1110).
4 Provide Health and Safety Training
Teens are different from adults physically, emotionally and in the way they
think. Always take this into account when training your young workers. Give
teens clear instructions for each task they must do. Provide safety training
during orientation (hands-on whenever possible) and review specifics as teens
begin to do each task. Make sure they know that doing a job right includes doing
it safely.
- Review steps for proper lifting.
- Teach teens how to work safely with any chemical products they use.
- Explain what tasks they can and cannot do. Remember: child labor laws prohibit
teens under 18 from doing many hazardous tasks and from using most power tools.
Laws are especially restrictive for teens under 16.
- Demonstrate and explain correct use of tools and equipment.
- Train teens what to do in case of an emergency.
- Tell them who to report injuries and safety problems to.
- Teach teens how to use any required personal protective equipment.
- Encourage them to ask questions.
5 Provide Effective Supervision
Demand that supervisors and older employees set good examples by following
safety rules. Make sure supervisors who give work assignments know the laws,
including the hours teens can work and the jobs they can do. Have them observe
teens working to see that they are doing tasks as trained. Create an atmosphere
that encourages teens to speak up when there is a problem or instructions are
unclear. Keep in mind that teens are reluctant to let others know when they
don't understand something and are often injured trying to do more than they
have been trained to do.
6 Establish a Health and Safety Committee
Set up a health and safety committee of managers and employees (both teens
and adults) that meets regularly to identify hazards and address problems. Employees
know their jobs and workplaces well and often have insightful ideas about injury
prevention.
7 Post Child Labor Laws
All Maine employers must post the State Child Labor Laws poster. For a copy,
call the Maine Department of Labor at 207-623-7900 (TTY: 1-800-794-1110 for
deaf and hard of hearing) or download it from: Child Labor Poster
If necessary,
Download the PDF
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Respect yourself. Protect yourself.
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