Farm labor laws for kids emphasized

From Staff Reports

July 3, 2003 -- As a farmer or rancher, are you aware the U.S. Department of Labor says a child less than 16 years of age, and unrelated to the farm owner, cannot enter a pen with a cow and her newborn calf? The rules also say that 16-year-old worker cannot operate a tractor of over 20 PTO horsepower, or connect or disconnect an implement or any of its parts to or from such a tractor.

Youths ages 16 and above may work in any farm job at any time, and youth of any age may work at any time any job on a farm owned or operated by their parents, but there are some stipulations to keep them safe.

On June 2, an expansion of the "YouthRules!" initiative was announced that includes information geared towards youth employed in agriculture. YouthRules! is a public awareness campaign launched by U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao one year ago to promote safe and rewarding work experiences for young workers.

"Every year, millions of teens work in part-time or summer jobs," said Tammy D. McCutchen, administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division. "Although the agriculture industry employs fewer young workers, we want to ensure that parents, teens, and employers in this important sector are aware of the resources and protections that exist to ensure that teens have positive and safe work experiences on farms across the country."

Some of the other hazardous chores that are also prohibited from non-family 16-year-olds include such things as operating a feed grinder or auger conveyor; working from a ladder or scaffold at a height of over 20 feet; and transporting, transferring, or applying anhydrous ammonia.

Details about YouthRules! and the new agriculture materials can be found at www.youthrules.dol.gov. For information about the laws administered by the Wage and Hour Division, visit www.wagehour.dol.gov, or call the Department of Labor's toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE.