Restrictions on young workers.

There are no restrictions on how old someone has to be before they can work, but there are certain restrictions on what young employees can and cannot do.

Employees under 18

• Can’t work in a restricted area of a licensed premises, unless they are serving meals, cleaning, or doing stocktaking.  

Employees under 16

• Can't work between 10pm and 6am
• Can’t work during school hours
• CAN work before or after school or during school holidays

• Can’t work in an area where things are being manufactured, processed or prepared for sale, areas used for construction, logging, tree-felling or areas where other potentially harmful work is being carried out
• Can’t work with machinery, including power tools and appliances
• CAN work in offices or sales premises, as long as they don’t enter the areas mentioned above
• Can’t lift weights that may cause an injury
• Can’t work with machinery
• Can’t drive a vehicle, ride on a vehicle which is towing something or ride on something being towed by a vehicle.  (This excludes cars, trucks, motorcycles or machinery that weighs 700 kilograms or less).       

In general, an employer must try to make sure the employee is safe from possible harm.

This also applies to those under 15 visiting the workplace, unless they are under direct adult supervision, on a guided tour, or in an area which is accessible to the general public.