In today’s economy, the summer job – as well as the part-time after school job – has become increasingly important to teenagers and their families. Many young people contribute job earnings toward keeping struggling households afloat.
What must not get lost in this desire and need to help, is job safety. Every nine minutes, a working teenager is injured on the job. Safe and healthy workplaces are a right, but many teens do not know their rights or are afraid to speak up.
To help protect their children, parents need to know where they are working and be familiar with child labor laws. These resources can help ensure that children are working in environments that do not put their safety and health at risk:
| Federal and state child labor laws (includes wage and hour): | Department of Labor (DOL) www.dol.gov/whd 1–866–4US–WAGE TTY: 1–877–889–5627 |
| Safety and health standards and other requirements: | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) www.osha.gov/SLTC/teenworkers 1–800–321–OSHA TTY: 1–877–889–5627 |
| Discrimination and harassment information: | Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) www.youth.eeoc.gov 1–800–669–4000 TTY: 1–800–669–6820 |
| Workplace hazards and solutions: | National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/youth 1–800–CDC–INFO (1–800–232–4636) |
| Unfair labor practices and/or union elections: | National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) www.nlrb.gov 1–866–667–NLRB |
[Janet Lubman Rathner]
