How parents can help keep teens safe at work

The majority of teens will work at some point before graduating high school, and in Massachusetts, nearly 20% start working for pay as early as middle school. While teens are still living at home, parents and guardians can help keep them safe at work.

Safety at work

A recent national telephone survey found that many parents help their teen find jobs, apply for jobs, ask questions about work hours and job tasks, and handle difficult issues related to the job. Many parents even reported meeting their child’s work supervisor.

Despite this involvement, few parents thought of workplace safety as a part of the job search.

Only about half the parents surveyed reported helping their teens fill out a required work permit. Less than half reported helping their teens learn about worker rights or youth work restrictions or further training.

Massachusetts has many tools available to raise awareness among parents about workplace hazards and help them understand the laws and regulations in place to protect teens. Some key tips and resources are below.

Teens working in family businesses

Working for parents or relatives in a family business can be an important experience and source of pride for teens and their families. Teens contribute to the business while gaining experience meted to manage it or make choices about future work.

But working for family does not mean a teen is not at risk. Nationwide, from 1992-2000, more than 30% or all fatal injuries to young workers occurred in family businesses. While more common in agriculture, deaths in family businesses can occur in any industry. Two of the three teen deaths in Massachusetts between 2005-2009 involved teens working for family in auto repair and construction.

Parents, like all employers, need to think about what jobs are appropriate for teens. Children need training and supervision, too. Because so many children work on family farms, there are guidelines to assist parents in assigning age-appropriate tasks. These guidelines match children’s growth and development with different farm chores. Though designed for agriculture, the information may be useful.

While the federal child labor laws for non-agricultural industries do not regulate age or hours for teens employed by their parents (the hazardous occupations still apply), the Massachusetts laws do. Families should know that there are no child labor exceptions in Massachusetts for teens working for parents or in family businesses.

For more information on teen worker safety, please contact Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) Teens at Work Project at [phone] or email [e-mail]