What this is
What is a young worker risk assessment?
What is a young worker risk assessment?
An assessment of the risks to a worker under 18, addressing both the prohibited and restricted work that applies by age, and the factors specific to youth: inexperience, incomplete risk perception, physical and psychological maturity, and susceptibility to pressure from older colleagues. It is required explicitly in several jurisdictions and is good practice everywhere.
What is oppressive child labor under the FLSA?
The FLSA prohibits, with exceptions, the employment of anyone under 16 in any occupation and anyone under 18 in occupations declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor. Those declarations are the hazardous occupation orders, and there are separate sets for agricultural and non-agricultural employment.
Scope
When is a young worker risk assessment required?
This assessment addresses workers under 18. It sits alongside the task assessment rather than replacing it.
Use this template when
- Before any worker under 18 starts, and again when their tasks change
- Work experience, apprenticeship and placement arrangements, which are not exempt from the hazardous occupation orders
- Seasonal and summer intake where young workers arrive in numbers and stay briefly
- Any change to equipment, process or shift pattern affecting a young worker's role
- Where a young worker moves between departments and the applicable restrictions change
Do not use it for
- The general task risk assessment, which this supplements with age-specific factors
- Employment eligibility and work permit checks, which are a separate administrative requirement
- New and expectant mother assessment, which is its own named duty with different factors
- Training records, which evidence the competence this assessment may require
- Safeguarding arrangements, which address a different set of risks to young people at work
Compliance mapping
Which ISO 45001 cl.6.1.2 requirements does this satisfy?
Young worker protection combines an employment statute setting prohibited work with a safety duty requiring assessment of age-specific factors.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| FLSA child labor provisions | Prohibition on employment under 16 in any occupation and under 18 in hazardous occupations, with exceptions | Prohibited and restricted work |
| 29 CFR 570 Subpart E | Hazardous occupation orders for non-agricultural employment, including power-driven machinery and specified equipment | Prohibited and restricted work |
| 29 CFR 570 Subpart E-1 | Agricultural hazardous occupation orders, which differ from the non-agricultural set | Prohibited and restricted work |
| HSE Management Regs reg.19 | Protection of young persons, with assessment addressing inexperience, immaturity and lack of awareness | Factors specific to age |
| HSE Management Regs reg.3(5) | Risk assessment before a young person starts, considering specified factors including equipment and exposure | Header |
| EU Directive 94/33/EC | Protection of young people at work, implemented nationally with prohibited work lists | Prohibited and restricted work |
| ISO 45001 cl.6.1.2 | Hazard identification considering human factors including capability and experience | Factors specific to age |
| State child labor statutes | Hours, permits and restrictions varying by state, applying where stricter than federal | Header |
What it does not cover
- The general task risk assessment, which this supplements rather than replaces.
- Work permit and age verification, which is an administrative requirement and, in several states, no longer exists.
- New and expectant mother assessment, a separate named duty with entirely different factors.
- Training and competency records, which evidence the controls this assessment specifies.
- Safeguarding policy, which addresses risks to young people beyond occupational safety.
How to complete it
How to complete a young worker risk assessment, step by step
Two halves: what the law prohibits, and what inexperience makes riskier. Most assessments do the first and stop.
Build the prohibited and restricted list from the hazardous occupation orders as a floor, then add any state requirement that goes further. Do not derive the list from state law alone, because several states have relaxed provisions that sit below the federal standard, and the federal standard continues to apply regardless.
Incomplete risk perception, unfamiliarity with the environment, reluctance to ask questions or to stop work, and susceptibility to pressure from older colleagues. These are the factors the safety regulations name, and they change what counts as an adequate control. A machine safe for an experienced operator may need additional supervision, restricted access or a different task allocation for a young worker.
A young worker who is also new, agency-supplied, in a second language, or on a night shift carries several elevated exposures at once. Each is separately recognised and together they concentrate risk in the population least likely to raise a concern. The assessment should identify where those overlap.
Restrictions are task-specific rather than person-specific, so a move between departments changes what is permitted. Where a young worker covers a different area during absence or at peak, that is a change requiring reassessment rather than an operational detail.
What auditors find
Most common young worker risk assessment findings
Findings here concentrate on the gap between the legal list and the actual work performed.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Restricted list built from state law where state provisions sit below the federal floor. | FLSA | Use the hazardous occupation orders as the floor and apply state rules where stricter. |
| Assessment addresses the task but not inexperience or risk perception. | Management Regs reg.19 | Assess the age-specific factors the regulations name, not only the physical hazard. |
| Young worker operating or cleaning power-driven equipment covered by an order. | 29 CFR 570 Subpart E | Check the specific order; cleaning and maintaining covered equipment is frequently included. |
| Work experience or apprenticeship placements treated as exempt. | FLSA | Placements are not generally exempt from hazardous occupation orders; check the specific exemption before relying on it. |
| No reassessment when the young worker moved department or covered another area. | Management Regs reg.3(5) | Restrictions are task-based; a move changes them. |
| Age verification absent where the state permit system has been removed. | FLSA | Verify age directly; the external check some states previously provided no longer exists. |
| Supervision arrangement stated but not defined. | ISO 45001 cl.6.1.2 | Name who supervises, how closely, and for how long; supervised is not a control by itself. |
| Compounding factors not identified where the worker is also new or agency-supplied. | ISO 45001 cl.6.1.2 | Record the overlap; these exposures concentrate rather than substitute. |
| Hours worked exceeding the applicable limit during peak periods. | FLSA / state law | Build the limit into rostering rather than checking it afterwards. |
| Assessment not reviewed on the worker's eighteenth birthday. | Management Regs reg.3(5) | Restrictions lapse; the assessment and the task allocation should both be revisited. |
Case in point
Case in point: the enforcement picture behind the assessment
In fiscal year 2025 the Wage and Hour Division resolved 976 cases in which employers were found to have violated the FLSA child labor provisions. Those cases involved the illegal employment of more than 5,200 minors, including 773 employed in violation of the Secretary's hazardous occupation orders, and produced civil money penalties totalling $37,215,327.
The figures for cases and for hazardous occupation violations were higher than in recent years. In 2026 the maximum civil penalty is up to $16,035 for each minor who was the subject of a violation, with higher amounts where a violation causes serious injury or death.
Over the same period, state child labor statutes have moved in both directions. Some states strengthened penalties and protections; others relaxed hours, removed youth work permit systems, or altered restrictions on particular work. Where a state provision falls below the FLSA, the federal standard governs.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
5 sections
- Reference
- SAF-150
- Archetype
- Assessment
- Record ID
- YWA-2026-000
- Scoring
- Residual band
- Direction
- Low is good
- Singleton
- Yes
- Basis
- ISO 45001 cl.6.1.2
- Links
- Links Induction, Supervision plan
- Tags
- Vulnerable, Young worker
- Sections
- 5
- Fields
- 54
- Follow up fields
- 3
- Repeating sections
- 0
- Links out
- 4
Header
17 fieldsAssessment ID*
Auto sequence. Format YWA-2026-000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Date and Time*
Completed By*
Site*
Site ID*
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
Area
The area within the site.
Exact Location
Drop a pin for anything hard to find.
Worker*
Person ID*
Format PER-0000.
Links to FDN-003 Person ID
Some Tasks Are Prohibited Outright
Young worker controls are not just extra supervision. Certain machinery, chemicals and hours are prohibited by law regardless of how well the risk is assessed.
Age*
Start Date*
Role*
Parent Or Guardian Informed
- Yes3 pts
- Not required3 pts
- No0 pts
Work Experience Or Employed*
Previous Work Experience*
- Substantial3 pts
- Some1 pt
- None0 pts
Prohibited and restricted work
9 fieldsDangerous Machinery Involved*
Bandsaws, mincers, dough brakes, guillotines and balers are commonly prohibited for under eighteens.
- No3 pts
- Yes0 pts
Prohibited Machinery Excluded*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Mobile Equipment Operation*
- Not permitted3 pts
- Supervised only1 pt
- Permitted0 pts
Hazardous Substances Involved*
- No3 pts
- Low hazard only1 pt
- Yes0 pts
Working At Height*
- No3 pts
- Occasionally1 pt
- Routinely0 pts
Confined Space Entry*
- No3 pts
- Occasionally1 pt
- Routinely0 pts
Night Work Involved*
- No3 pts
- Yes0 pts
Hours Within Legal Limits*
- Yes3 pts
- Marginal1 pt
- No0 pts
Rest Breaks Meet Young Worker Rules*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Factors specific to age
5 fieldsInexperience Considered*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Risk Awareness Considered*
Young workers often do not recognise a hazard, and are least likely to say no when asked.
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Physical Development Considered*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Susceptibility To Peer Pressure Considered*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Willingness To Speak Up Considered*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Controls
8 fieldsSupervision Level Set*
- Direct at all times4 pts
- Within sight3 pts
- Periodic checks1 pt
- None0 pts
Named Supervisor Assigned*
Buddy Assigned*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Enhanced Induction Delivered*
- Yes3 pts
- Standard only1 pt
- No0 pts
Task List Restricted And Documented*
- Yes3 pts
- Verbal only1 pt
- No0 pts
Restriction Communicated To The Team*
Everybody on the line needs to know what this person may not be asked to do.
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Review Frequency Set*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Review On Turning Eighteen*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Outcome
15 fieldsHighest Control Level Applied*
- Eliminate4 pts
- Substitute4 pts
- Engineer3 pts
- Separate or isolate3 pts
- Administrative1 pt
- PPE0 pts
Residual Band*
- Low, 1 to 45 pts
- Medium, 5 to 94 pts
- High, 10 to 142 pts
- Very high, 15 to 191 pt
- Extreme, 20 to 250 pts
Risk Acceptable*
- Yes3 pts
- Marginal1 pt
- No0 pts
Further Controls Required
Risk Assessment
Risk ID
Format RSK-2026-00000.
Links to FDN-012 Risk ID
Action Required*
Raise the action record, then enter its reference here.
- No2 pts
- Yes0 pts
Priority
- High0 pts
- Medium1 pt
- Low3 pts
CAPA ID
Format CAPA-2026-00000.
Links to FDN-014 CAPA ID
Action Owner
Next Review Due*
Supervisor*
Signature*
Safety Lead*
Second Signature*
SAF-150 · record IDs look like YWA-2026-000 · Links Induction, Supervision plan
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
The assessment has a legal half and a human half. What fails is the department move nobody reassessed and the state policy that drifted below the federal floor.
Holds the restricted task list against the federal orders with state additions, and reassesses when a young worker's tasks or department change.
Tracks the additional training and supervision the assessment specifies, and confirms it is delivered before the task rather than during it.
Flags where several elevated-risk characteristics coincide on one person, since those exposures compound rather than substitute.
Covers agency-supplied young workers, where the age check and the assessment both frequently fall between two employers.
This template lives in KnowSafe — safety and compliance. Incidents, hazards, permits, inspections and the critical controls behind them.
Meet KnowSafe→Glossary
Young Worker Risk Assessment definitions and key terms
- Oppressive child labor
- Under the FLSA, employment of a minor under 16 in any occupation, or under 18 in a hazardous occupation, subject to exceptions.
- Hazardous occupation order
- A declaration by the Secretary of Labor that an occupation is too dangerous for workers under 18. Separate sets exist for agriculture and non-agriculture.
- Youth work permit
- A state-issued document confirming age and permitted employment. Several states have removed the requirement in recent years.
- Risk perception
- The ability to recognise and weigh a hazard, which is less developed in younger and less experienced workers and is a named assessment factor.
- Compounding exposure
- Where several elevated-risk characteristics coincide: young, new, agency-supplied, working in a second language or on nights.
- Work experience placement
- A short educational placement, which is not generally exempt from hazardous occupation restrictions.
- Federal floor
- The minimum standard set by the FLSA, which applies regardless of a less protective state provision.
- Task-based restriction
- A restriction attaching to the work rather than the person, so it changes when the worker's tasks change.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about young worker risk assessment
Can we rely on state child labor law?+
Only where it is at least as protective as the FLSA. Several states have amended their statutes recently in both directions, and where a state provision sits below the federal standard, the federal standard continues to apply. A policy derived from state law alone risks being compliant locally and in violation federally, which is why the hazardous occupation orders should be the baseline.
What does the enforcement picture look like?+
In fiscal year 2025 the Wage and Hour Division resolved 976 child labor cases involving more than 5,200 minors, of whom 773 were employed in violation of hazardous occupation orders, with penalties totalling $37,215,327. In 2026 the maximum civil penalty is up to $16,035 per minor subject to a violation, with higher amounts where serious injury or death results.
Are work experience placements exempt?+
Not generally. Specific and narrow exemptions exist, including certain student-learner and apprenticeship arrangements meeting defined conditions, but the default is that hazardous occupation orders apply to placements as they do to employment. Relying on an exemption requires checking that the specific conditions are met rather than assuming educational purpose is sufficient.
What age-specific factors must the assessment cover?+
Inexperience, incomplete awareness of risk, physical and psychological immaturity, the layout of the workplace, exposure to agents and processes, and the extent of training and supervision. Several jurisdictions name these explicitly. The practical point is that a control adequate for an experienced adult may be inadequate for someone doing the task for the first time.
What happens when several risk factors overlap?+
They compound. A young worker who is also new, agency-supplied and working in a second language is elevated on four separate counts, each independently recognised, and is among the least likely to raise a concern or stop work. The assessment should identify that overlap explicitly rather than treating each factor in a separate document.
Keep going
Related templates and programmes
Industries this is written for
Programmes this belongs to
Used together in Vulnerable and Temporary Workers
Agency Labour Provider Assessment
Assesses an agency for how it screens, trains, inducts and supervises the people it sends
Return to Work Programme Plan
Sets out how the site brings people back to work after injury or illness, covering triggers, roles, timescales and the duties that are actually available
New and Expectant Mother Assessment
Assesses the workplace for a worker who is pregnant, has recently given birth or is breastfeeding
Temporary and Agency Worker Review
Reviews whether agency and short term workers receive the same induction, training and supervision as permanent staff
Language and Literacy Assessment
Assesses whether safety critical information reaches people who do not read the site language fluently
Workplace Adjustment Record
Records an adjustment made so somebody can do their job safely, whatever the underlying reason
More in Vulnerable Workers
New and Expectant Mother Assessment
Assesses the workplace for a worker who is pregnant, has recently given birth or is breastfeeding
Temporary and Agency Worker Review
Reviews whether agency and short term workers receive the same induction, training and supervision as permanent staff
Language and Literacy Assessment
Assesses whether safety critical information reaches people who do not read the site language fluently
Workplace Adjustment Record
Records an adjustment made so somebody can do their job safely, whatever the underlying reason
Vulnerable Worker Register
Holds the workers who currently need additional consideration, with the adjustment in place and its review date
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- Fair Labor Standards Act child labor provisions, and CRS report R44548 with FY2025 enforcement data
- 29 CFR Part 570, child labor regulations including hazardous occupation orders, US DOL
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulations 3(5) and 19 (GB)
- Council Directive 94/33/EC on the protection of young people at work
- ISO 45001:2018 clause 6.1.2, hazard identification including human factors
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.