In addition to preparing for final exams and wrapping up the baseball, softball and track season, many Florida teens are also out looking for a job to help make ends meet and, of course, save for college at this time of the year.
However, competition is fierce and, as we discussed last time, those 16- and 17-year-olds fortunate enough to land work need to know that 1) they have rights under Florida’s child labor laws and the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act and 2) they are subject to very clear restrictions.
Work restrictions
Even when they aren’t in school, 16- and 17-year-olds are still subject to a host of restrictions of which both they and their employer need to be aware.
For instance, Florida law dictates that 16- and 17-year-olds cannot work more than six days in a row in any given week and must be provided with an uninterrupted 30-minute break after working for four consecutive hours.
These restrictions aren’t just confined to the area of scheduling and breaks, however, as state law has also identified a host of occupations in which 16- and 17-year-olds cannot be employed given their hazardous nature.
While a complete listing is clearly beyond the scope of a single blog post, here are a few of the prohibited hazardous occupations in which 16- and 17-year-olds might otherwise be interested:
- Those involving the operation of motor vehicles
- Those involving excavation, demolition or wrecking
- Those involving working on roofs, ladders and scaffolding above six feet
- Those involving the use of circular saws, guillotine shears and band saws
- Those involving pesticides, corrosive or other toxic substances
This discussion will continue in our next post, in which we’ll talk about the available exemptions to the state’s hour restrictions. In the meantime, if you believe that your employee rights have been violated — withholding of wages, discrimination, retaliation, etc. — consider speaking with a skilled legal professional as soon as possible.