Minors can use knives at work in a lot of situations, but the rules turn on two things: how old the worker is, and whether the knife is manual or part of a power-driven machine. Federal law flatly prohibits anyone under 18 from operating power-driven meat and food processing equipment, while manual knife use is generally allowed for 16- and 17-year-olds and much more limited for 14- and 15-year-olds. State laws can tighten these rules further.
What 16- and 17-Year-Olds Can Do
Workers in this age group can take on any job that hasn’t been declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor. For knife work, that means a 16- or 17-year-old can use a standard kitchen knife to chop vegetables, a utility knife to break down boxes, a fillet knife in a restaurant kitchen, or a box cutter for stocking shelves. Manual blades are not the target of federal child labor rules.
The hard limit is Hazardous Occupations Order 10, which bars anyone under 18 from operating, feeding, setting up, adjusting, repairing, or cleaning power-driven meat-processing machines. That covers meat slicers, meat saws, patty-forming machines, meat grinders, poultry scissors, and similar powered cutting equipment. And it applies regardless of what’s actually being cut. Slicing cheese or vegetables on an electric deli slicer is just as prohibited as slicing meat. Even cleaning the disassembled parts is off-limits.
What 14- and 15-Year-Olds Can Do
The rules for this age group are much tighter. They can perform basic kitchen tasks like cleaning fruits and vegetables, wrapping, sealing, labeling, and stocking. They can operate simple equipment such as dishwashers, toasters, and microwaves used only to warm food. They cannot operate, clean, or otherwise handle power-driven food slicers, grinders, choppers, mixers, or cutters.
Federal regulations don’t explicitly list manual knife use among the permitted tasks for this age group. The activities the rules describe — cleaning and wrapping produce, for instance, rather than chopping it — don’t inherently require knife skills. Employers assigning knife work to a 14- or 15-year-old are working in territory the federal rules don’t clearly authorize, and a stricter state rule may close the door entirely.
Other restrictions narrow the range further. Workers this age can’t perform most baking tasks and can only do limited cooking: electric or gas grills without open flames, and deep fryers with automatic basket-lowering devices. They also can’t work in warehousing or storage, which keeps them away from most box-cutter and utility-knife work in those settings.
The Power-Driven Line
“Power-driven” means any device running on electric, pneumatic, hydraulic, or other non-manual power. In food service and retail, that most often means electric meat slicers, band saws used in butchering, commercial meat grinders, and patty-forming machines.
The distinction matters most at deli counters and grocery meat departments. A 17-year-old can use a manual knife to trim meat behind the counter, but the moment they touch the electric slicer, even to clean it, they’ve crossed into prohibited territory. Employers stationing minors near this equipment need clear protocols about what the worker can and cannot touch.
For 14- and 15-year-olds, the ban is broader. They cannot operate any power-driven food processing equipment, not just the meat-processing machines named in Order 10. Commercial mixers (with limited exceptions for small countertop models), food choppers, and any powered cutting device are all off-limits.
Common Workplace Scenarios
Restaurant Kitchens
A 16- or 17-year-old prep cook can use manual knives to chop vegetables, portion ingredients, or trim meat, but cannot operate the electric meat slicer or commercial food processor. A 14- or 15-year-old can clean vegetables and help with basic prep, but federal rules limit cooking duties and prohibit power-driven kitchen equipment.
Grocery Stores and Delis
Workers under 18 cannot operate the power-driven meat and poultry processing machines found at deli counters. A 16- or 17-year-old stocking shelves can use a box cutter or utility knife because those are manual tools and stocking isn’t a hazardous occupation. A 14- or 15-year-old can stock shelves and wrap or label items in areas physically separate from meat coolers and freezers, but cannot use power-driven equipment.
Retail and Warehouse
Box cutters and utility knives aren’t specifically prohibited by federal hazardous occupations orders. A 16- or 17-year-old working retail can use them to stock and unbox. Workers aged 14 and 15 cannot work in warehousing or storage at all.
Farm Work Is Different
Agricultural work operates under a separate set of rules that are generally more permissive. Minors 16 and older can perform any agricultural job, including work declared hazardous. The agricultural hazardous occupations orders focus on power-driven equipment like circular saws, band saws, and heavy machinery, not manual cutting tools. A 16-year-old on a farm can use knives for harvesting or processing without the restrictions that apply in restaurants or grocery stores.
Workers aged 14 and 15 can do non-hazardous farm work outside school hours. And the agricultural hazardous occupations orders don’t apply at all to minors working on a farm owned or operated by their parents, regardless of age.
Apprenticeship and Student-Learner Exceptions
Narrow exceptions let some minors work with otherwise prohibited equipment, including power-driven meat-processing machines. The requirements are strict.
- Registered apprentices. The minor must be employed in a recognized apprenticeable trade and registered with the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training or an equivalent state agency. The hazardous work must be incidental to training, intermittent, for short periods, and under the direct supervision of a qualified journeyman.
- Student-learners. The minor must be enrolled in a cooperative vocational training program through a recognized educational authority. A written agreement between the employer and school must specify that hazardous work is incidental to training, supervised by a qualified person, and accompanied by safety instruction coordinated between the school and employer.
The written agreement must name the student-learner and be signed by both the employer and the school coordinator or principal. If reasonable safety precautions aren’t observed, the exemption can be revoked.
State Laws Can Go Further
Federal law sets the floor. Every state has its own child labor laws, and when a state rule is stricter, the employer must follow it. A state could prohibit workers under 18 from using any knife in a commercial kitchen, ban 16-year-olds from working in delis, or require training before a minor handles sharp tools, and those rules would override the more permissive federal standard. Check the state labor department before assigning knife work.
Safety Training and Cut-Resistant Gloves
Even when knife use is legal, employers have a separate obligation under OSHA to protect workers from foreseeable hazards. The hand protection standard requires employers to provide appropriate gloves, such as cut-resistant gloves, whenever employees face hazards like severe cuts or lacerations. The employer must evaluate the tasks involved and select hand protection based on the hazards, the duration of the work, and the performance of the glove.
NIOSH recommends structured safety training for young workers that covers hazard identification, proper use of personal protective equipment, and how to raise safety concerns with a supervisor. A teenager who has never held a chef’s knife shouldn’t learn on the job without direct supervision and proper equipment.
Penalties for Employers
Employers who put minors in prohibited jobs face civil penalties from the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. Current maximums, adjusted annually for inflation and effective January 16, 2025:
- Standard violations. Up to $16,035 per employee affected.
- Violations causing death or serious injury. Up to $72,876 per violation.
- Willful or repeated violations causing death or serious injury. Up to $145,752 per violation.
Penalties are assessed per employee, so an employer who assigns three minors to operate a meat slicer could face separate fines for each one. Willful violations of the FLSA can also lead to criminal prosecution, with fines up to $10,000, up to six months in jail, or both. Imprisonment is only available for offenses committed after a prior conviction under the same provision, so first-time willful violators typically face fines rather than jail.