Now that school is out, students may be looking for a summer job baling hay, milking cows, picking vegetables or assisting with many of the other daily tasks on your farm.
Students are often eager to work, but there are some precautions employers must be aware of prior to hiring. The following paragraphs will help answer some of the more common questions.
Who is Covered? Employing minors younger than 16 is subject to federal requirements set by the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the agriculture requirements are less than for many other industries.
In 1967, the U.S. Secretary of Labor determined that certain jobs in agriculture are hazardous to minors younger than 16.
However, like many other federal regulations, there are exemptions. These include children employed on farms owned or operated by their parents or guardians and those who have completed an approved tractor and machinery certification course.
In addition to federal hazardous occupation regulations, there are also state regulations.
For most Ohio laws, a person younger than 18 is considered a minor. However, the list of hazardous agriculture jobs in the Ohio Revised Code – which is the same as the federal list – prohibits minors younger than 16 from working.
Many sections of the code concerned with employment of minors do not apply to minors employed on farms.
These include obtaining an age and schooling certificate (unless you employ children of migrant workers); keeping a list of minor employees; and paying the minimum wage.
Hazardous farm jobs. Although it would be easier to list the non-hazardous jobs in agriculture, below is a list of those jobs declared hazardous by the U.S. Secretary of Labor.
Because of space limitations, the full details of each hazardous occupation is not here. See the Ohio Farm Labor Handbook for complete details.
Jobs designated hazardous to minors younger than 16 are:
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