labor lawAdivision of labor law center

As you have seen—and will continue to see—when you read my blog, not only do I report on the latest and greatest when it comes to human resources news, workers’ comp news, labor law news, and any and all news that has to do with employers and employing, I also provide great in depth analysis and explanation on that news. So you get the news, and then you understand why that news is taking place, and why it is important. And how much do you get charged for all of this service? Nothing!

Anyway, my point—remember that online site that the North Carolina Department of Labor has set up for applying for child labor work permits? Well, you should remember it if you employ minors at your company. The Web site set up by the North Carolina Department of Labor is very important because it completely speeds up the process for employers and their minor employees when it comes to getting a work permit.

But that story and this Web site may leave you astute employers scratching your heads and wondering why this work permit is needed in the first permit. Doesn’t the state trust employers to check people’s ages when they first start working for them, to make sure that they are a certain age to follow state labor laws? In a word, no.

The whole child labor law process was set up because workers back in the day—back in the 19th century and early 20th century days—would abuse child labor. So the youth employment work permit is now required in North Carolina for anyone under the age of 18 to make sure that these kids aren’t working in dangerous or unhealthy locations. It also helps to make sure that 14 and 15 year old kids are not working too many hours.

Remember, back in the day, kids would work 12 hours a day, miss school and work in horrible conditions in factories and mines and such. This, folks, is now the 21st century—hence, Web sites used to prevent child labor law violations.

Employers who need work for the summer can know the difficulty of getting help from your area’s high school teens and other 18 and unders who want to work for you. To be legal in North Carolina (and in most states), these minors need to have the right work permits, and they need to apply for them in time to have them for when they are due to start working for you. This can sometimes be a hassle and lead to delays for them starting to work for you, which can mean some hectic scheduling when that summer season or holiday season kicks into high gear.

The North Carolina Department of Labor is making it a little easier on you employers who rely on minors to work in your shop, warehouse, convenience store, super market, or what have you. The North Carolina Department of Labor has set up a new online way for teens to apply for work permits, which should streamline the whole process. In fact, teens are so adapt at using the computer and at doing things online, this should make it a snap—perhaps even fun—for them to apply for their work permit.

The North Carolina Department of Labor actually launched the online program, called YEC Auto, last year. It simply is a site on the Web where teens and their employers can directly link up with the Department of Labor and get help securing a youth employment certificate.

What the program does best is make the waiting period for this work permit reduce down to near nil. With the online system, minors and their employers can expect to receive a work permit within minutes. Yup, you heard that right—minutes. You would think that there wasn’t even a bureaucracy involved in the process. That is the power of the Internet when it is properly harnessed.

I didn’t find it too difficult to find the child labor laws for the state of North Carolina. They are extensive, but much like the child labor laws which have been passed in several of the other states. In this state, it is required that employers post the North Carolina Child Labor Law posters in a location where all employees have access to them. For this reason, many employers post their North Carolina Child Labor Law posters in locations like the break room, work areas, and around the time clock.

I found that North Carolina adopts their child labor laws straight from the federal government for 14 and 15 year olds. For those minors 16 and 17, this state adopts federal child labor laws for those working in non-farm jobs.

Just like with the other states, I noticed that the state of North Carolina limits which jobs can be held by minors. Laws prohibit minors from holding jobs that are considered to be hazardous to their health. Some of the jobs that are restricted from being held by minors are – mining, work with explosives, work with radioactive materials, spray painting, welding, and many more.

YECs, or Youth Employment Certificates, are required in the state of North Carolina for any minor under the age of 18. The employer or minor can get this certificate at the local county Department of Social Services. Some schools have the ability to grant these certificates, as well.

I also read about the late night work limitations that are placed on minors under the age of 18 in this state. The law says that anyone enrolled in school in grades twelve or below may not be employed between 11 PM and 5 AM when school is in session the next day. This restriction can be lifted for 16 and 17 year olds under certain circumstances.

I hope you found this broad overview of the child labor laws in North Carolina to be helpful. If you need additional information, you should try to find the North Carolina Child Labor Law Posters. When you need information about both federal and state laws, try finding the North Carolina Complete Labor Law Poster.