Young person aged 15 to less than 18 years in company: prohibited and regulated work

Verified 28 November 2025 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

A young person between the ages of 15 and 18 may not be assigned to certain so-called works forbidden because of their dangerous nature. In some cases, however, young workers and young people in vocational training may be assigned to some of these jobs, which are then referred to as ‘regulated’ by derogation temporary or permanent. What are the work prohibited and the regulated work? We're taking a look at the regulations.

Prohibited work

Certain works prohibited young persons aged 15 to less than 18 years and may not be subjected to any derogation.

Prohibitions on employment vary according to the nature of the activity concerned:

Work affecting physical or moral integrity

Work that may expose the employee to acts or representations of a pornographic or violent nature.

Work involving exposure to hazardous chemical agents

Work exposing the employee to asbestos dust under the following conditions:

  • Dust from level 2, with a value of more than 100 fibers and less than 6 000 fibers per liter of air
  • Dust from level 3, the value of which is greater than or equal to 6 000 fibers and less than 25 000 fibers per liter of air.

Work involving exposure to biological agents

Work that may expose the employee to certain biological agents (for example, a parasite, a bacterium, a virus) that may represent a serious danger to his health and provoke serious diseases.

The fields of activity concerned are, for example, hospitals, medical analysis laboratories, the agricultural and agri-food sectors.

Work exposing to mechanical vibration

Work that may expose the employee to a vibration level greater than or equal to:

  • 2.5 meters/second² per day for vibrations transmitted to hands and arms
  • 0.5 meters/second² per day for vibrations transmitted to the whole body.

These include, for example, the use of jackhammers or construction machinery.

Work exposing to electromagnetic fields

Work exposing the employee to electromagnetic fields when the risk assessment highlights the possibility of exceeding the exposure limit values.

Work involving an electrical hazard

  • Work leading to access unsupervised to a premises, site or worksite presenting a risk of contact with bare parts under electrical voltage
  • Work resulting in an operation under electrical voltage.

Please note

This prohibition does not apply to electrical hazards to very low safety voltage.

Work involving the risk of collapse and burial

Works of demolition, trenches, comprising risk of collapse and burial (shielding, excavations, galleries, shoring).

Driving self-propelled mobile work equipment

Work leading to the conduct of motor quadricycles and agricultural or forestry tractors when these vehicles are not equipped with the following 2 items of equipment:

  • Device for driver protection in case of overturning
  • System of driver restraint at the driving position in the event of a rollover.

Work at height on trees

Work at height on trees (e.g. pruning).

Work exposing to extreme temperatures

Work that may expose the employee to a extreme temperature (positive or negative) that can harm your health.

Work in contact with animals

  • Works slaughter, euthanasia and rendering of animals
  • Work involving contact with dangerous or poisonous animals.

Beverage outlets to consume on site

Employment or assignment on probation at bar service.

Warning  

This prohibition of employment is not applicable a young person in one of the following situations:

  • Young being the husband, the partner bound by a Civil partnerships: titleContent or the person living in a relationship with the operator, or a parent or ally until 4e degree inclusive of operator
  • Young person over 16 years of age employed in an approved beverage outlet with a license and receiving training comprising one or more periods completed in company enabling them to acquire a professional qualification.

No. The employer cannot request a waiver to be able to assign a young worker to work that is strictly prohibited.

Yes. Labor inspection may decide to withdraw from his workstation the young worker if he finds that he is assigned to one or more work strictly prohibited.

Withdrawal is immediate. The decision of the labor inspectorate must be written.

It is given to the employer personally counter-discharge or by any means (e.g. RAR: titleContent) within the maximum period of 1 free day.

A copy of the decision shall also be forwarded without delay to the young person, his legal representative and, if necessary, to the head of the establishment (director of the CFA: titleContent or the training organization).

The contract is suspended. The employer must maintain salary of the employee during the entire period of absence from his post.

The employer has no right to terminate the employee's employment contract.

The employer who does not comply with the employment ban shall be liable to the fine next:

  • For a natural person, until €1,500 (up to €3,000 in case of recurrence)
  • For a legal person, until €7,500 (up to €15,000 in case of recurrence).

Regulated work

Certain work prohibited to young workers aged 15 to less than 18 may be subject to exemptions. This work is then said ‘regulated’.

The regulated work concerns 2 categories of young workers:

  • Those in vocational training for which the employer sends a declaration of derogation temporary to the labor inspectorate
  • Those with a permanent derogation (without intervention of the labor inspectorate) and which fulfill certain special conditions (holder of a diploma or professional title, holder of an electrical authorization, driving license or medical aptitude).

The nature of the regulated work varies according to the situation of the young person:

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Young person in vocational training benefiting from a temporary derogation

Young people aged 15 to less than 18 in vocational training may perform the following regulated work:

Dangerous chemical agents
  • Work involving the preparation, employment, the manipulation or the exhibition to hazardous chemical agents
  • Work exposing to asbestos dust with a dust of level 1, the value of which is less than 100 fibers per liter of air.
Radiation
  • Work exposing to Category B ionizing radiation, for young people d'at least 16 years old
  • Work exposing to dangerous artificial optical radiation.
Hyperbaric medium

Interventions in middle hyperbaric with a relative pressure greater than 1 200 hectopascals (1.2 bar)

Operation of special equipment

Operation of work equipment self-propelled mobiles and work equipment used for load lifting.

Use or maintenance of hazardous machinery
  • Work involving the use or maintenance of some dangerous machinery (e.g. sawing or planing machines, presses, rubber molding machines), irrespective of their date of entry into service
  • Work involving the use or maintenance of machines comprising movable elements contributing to the performance of the work and which cannot be rendered inaccessible during their operation
  • Maintenance work on work equipment, when they cannot be carried out while stationary, and in the presence of a risk of unexpected restarting of the transmissions, mechanisms or work equipment in question.
Temporary work at height
  • Temporary work at height without collective protection measures against the risk of falling, but requiring the use of personal protective equipment
  • Assembly and disassembly of scaffolding.

Please note

This prohibition does not apply to the use of ladders, stepladders and steps in the event of a technical impossibility of collective protection installations.

It must be short-term work and non-repetitive, with a low risk of falling.

Pressure vessel

Work involving the operations of manipulation, monitoring, control and of intervention on pressure vessels (e.g. compressor).

Working in a confined environment
  • Visit, maintenance and cleaning of the interior of the vats, tanks, basins and tanks
  • Work involving work in confined medium (wells, gas lines, sewers, etc.).
Working in contact with molten glass or metal

Work of pouring glass or molten metals with permanent access to the premises assigned to this work.

Young worker with a permanent individual derogation

Young workers can in some cases benefit from permanent individual derogations allowing them to be assigned to regulated work:

Holding the diploma or professional title corresponding to the activity carried out

A young man possessing the diploma or professional title corresponding to the activity it carries out, may, if it has a medical advice of aptitude, perform the regulated work of his profession.

Work involving an electrical hazard

The young man having an authorization for electrical work may perform operations on or work near electrical installations. It must respect the limits provided for in the authorization.

Driving construction machinery or load lifting devices

Driving construction machinery or equipment used for lifting loads is possible for young people who meet the following conditions:

  • Completion of a specific training the operation and use of the equipment
  • Possession of a driving license adapted.
Manual load handling

The young person may carry out manual handling work with a load exceeding 20% of its own weight if he has a favorable medical opinion.

Yes. The employer must send an declaration of derogation by any means to the labor inspectorate prior to the assignment of the youth on the post concerned.

Please note

This obligation does not apply to an employer who wishes to assign a young worker with a permanent individual derogation.

Employees covered by the derogation

The derogation may apply to a young person in one of the following situations:

Conditions to be met by the employer before the young person is assigned to the work station

The declaration of derogation will be valid and the assignment of the young person to the workstation will be possible if the employer meets the following conditions :

  • Have proceeded with therisk assessment for the health and safety of the employee
  • Have, after the evaluation, implemented the preventive actions and the adapted working methods
  • Credit memo informed the young person about the risks professionals for his health and safety, and having him provided security training
  • Ensure the supervision of the young person by a competent person
  • Have obtained the issuance of a medical opinion of suitability.

Form and content of the declaration of derogation addressed to the labor inspectorate

No formalities are required, but the employer is advised to send his declaration by mail RAR: titleContent or email.

The declaration of derogation shall be valid for 3 years and maybe renewed every 3 years.

The declaration shall contain the following information:

  • Sector of activity of the company or establishment
  • Vocational training provided
  • Known training locations (company or company establishments, construction sites, etc.)
  • Prohibited work necessary for vocational training, for which a derogation may be requested, and for which the derogation declaration relates.
  • Machinery used to carry out such work and presenting a particular health hazard (e.g. sawing machines)
  • Work concerned and work equipment used in the event of maintenance work being carried out
  • The quality or function of the competent person or persons responsible for supervising young people during the performance of the work concerned.

A reporting template is available:

Declaration of derogation from prohibited work with a view to receiving young minors aged at least 15 years in vocational training

A leaflet to complete this document is also available:

Instructions for use of the form for declaration of derogation from prohibited work with a view to receiving young minors aged at least 15 years in vocational training

Please note

The employer who makes a declaration of derogation shall keep at the disposal of the labor inspectorate, as from the time each young person is assigned to the work in question, the following information:

  • First names, surname and date of birth of the young person
  • Nature, duration and location of vocational training
  • Medical opinion of suitability to carry out this work
  • Content of safety information and training provided to youth
  • First names, surname, and capacity or function of the competent person or persons responsible for supervising the young person during the execution concerned.

Modification of the content of the derogation declaration

The employer may subsequently amend the information relating to the sector of activity of his company, the vocational training provided, the nature of the work prohibited or the type of machinery used to carry out that work.

he then informs labor inspection by any means conferring a certain date in a 8 days delay as from changes. 

The employer shall keep at the disposal of the labor inspectorate information on any changes to the known training sites or changes in the quality or function of the competent person or persons responsible for supervising young people during the performance of the work concerned.

Yes. Labor inspection may decide to withdraw from his workstation the young worker concerned by the following two situations:

  • Assignment to one or more regulated work
  • Existence of a situation exposing the employee to a serious and imminent danger for his life or health.

Withdrawal is immediate. The decision of the labor inspectorate must be written. It is given to the employer personally counter-discharge or by any means (e.g. RAR: titleContent) within the maximum period of 1 free day.

A copy of the decision shall also be forwarded without delay to the young person, his legal representative and, where appropriate, to the head of the establishment (director of the CFA: titleContent or the training organization).

The employer must maintain salary of the employee during the entire period of absence from his post.

Where the employer or superintendent has taken all measures to put an end to the situation of serious and imminent danger, the informed labor inspection.

The labor inspectorate may allow or refuse resumption of work within 2 working days.

An employer who employs a young person and does not comply with the rules relating to regulated work shall be liable to the fine next:

  • For a natural person, until €1,500 (up to €3,000 in case of recurrence)
  • For a legal person, until €7,500 (up to €15,000  in case of recurrence).

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