In brief
Employing children under 15 is prohibited; children who have turned 14 and completed compulsory primary education may work only in light work. Persons under 18 cannot be employed outside the work listed in the regulation's annexes and cannot work nights in industrial jobs. Periodic examinations of child and young workers are repeated at least every 6 months.
Conditions for employing young workers: who is a child, who is young?
The conditions for employing young workers are set out in two main texts: Articles 71–73 of Labour Law No. 4857 and the Regulation on the Procedures and Principles for Employing Child and Young Workers based on these articles. On the health surveillance and risk assessment side, Law No. 6331 and its regulations apply.
The regulation defines two concepts:
| Child worker | Young worker | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | Has turned 14 but not yet 15 | Has turned 15 but not yet 18 |
| Precondition | Has completed primary education | — |
| Work they may do | Only the light work in Annex 1 | Work in Annex 1 and Annex 2; also Annex 3 if they have turned 16 |
| Daily / weekly hours (if not attending school) | At most 7 / 35 hours | May be increased to 8 / 40 hours |
| Daily rest | 14 uninterrupted hours | 14 uninterrupted hours |
Child worker age and exceptions
Under Article 71 of the Labour Law, employing children under 15 is prohibited. There are two exceptions to this prohibition:
- Children who have turned 14 and completed the compulsory primary education age may be employed in light work that does not hinder their physical, mental, social and moral development or their school attendance. This work is listed in Annex 1 of the regulation: for example, sales alongside tradespeople and craftsmen, helping with office work, newspaper delivery (excluding carrying and stacking loads), sticking labels on goods for sale and manual packing.
- Children under 14 may be employed only in art, cultural and advertising activities, provided a written contract is made and separate permission is obtained for each activity. In these activities, the daily limit is at most 5 hours and the weekly limit at most 30 hours.
For the great majority of industrial businesses, the practical result is this: it is not possible to employ a person under 15 on a production line, in a workshop or in a warehouse.
Work prohibited under 18
Instead of listing prohibited work one by one, the regulation lists permitted work. Child workers may be employed only in the work in Annex 1, young workers in the work in Annexes 1 and 2, and young workers who have turned 16 in the work in Annexes 1, 2 and 3; all other work is prohibited (Art. 5). Annex 2 includes, for example, office work, sales in wholesale and retail shops, labelling and packing, food manufacturing, and bagging and stacking work that does not require lifting loads over 10 kg without equipment.
Moreover, even in work permitted for their age, workers under 18 cannot be employed in:
- Work involving the manufacture, processing or storage of flammable, explosive, harmful and dangerous substances, or the possibility of exposure to them,
- Environments with high noise or vibration, and work requiring extremely hot or cold environments,
- Work with substances harmful to health that cause occupational disease, and work with a risk of radioactive substances and harmful radiation,
- Work requiring excessive attention and continuous standing,
- Work paid by piece rate or bonus systems,
- Work beyond their physical and psychological capacity according to the workplace physician's report,
- Cash carrying and collection work,
- Work falling within the night period in Article 69 of the Labour Law.
Article 72 of the Labour Law also prohibits the employment of males under 18 and women of any age in underground or underwater work such as mines, cable laying, sewer and tunnel construction.
Young worker working hours and the night work ban
Working hours are detailed in Articles 6–10 of the regulation:
- Daily and weekly hours: For children who have completed basic education and do not attend school, 7 hours a day and 35 hours a week; for those who have turned 15, up to 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week.
- Children attending school: During term time, outside school hours, at most 2 hours a day and 10 hours a week. When school is closed, the limits above apply.
- Daily rest: 14 hours of uninterrupted rest in each 24-hour period.
- Breaks: 30 minutes for work lasting more than 2 hours but less than 4 hours; 1 hour in the middle of the working time for work lasting from 4 to 7.5 hours.
- Weekly rest: At least 40 uninterrupted hours.
- Public holidays: Child and young workers cannot be employed on national and public holidays.
- Annual leave: At least 20 days; it may be split into at most two parts if the worker wishes and it is in their interest. For those attending school, leave is given during school holidays.
Night work ban: Article 73 of the Labour Law prohibits night work by child and young workers under 18 in industrial jobs; the regulation repeats this prohibition for all work falling within the night period. Under the Law, night is a period of at most 11 hours starting no later than 20:00 and lasting until no earlier than 06:00. In three-shift factories in Bursa, this means a young worker can be assigned only to the day shift.
Young worker health report and six-monthly examination
Health surveillance is more frequent for young workers than for adults:
- Pre-employment examination: Under Article 15 of Law No. 6331, in hazardous and very hazardous work a worker cannot start without a fitness-for-work report. For where to obtain the report, see our article on the pre-employment health report.
- Periodic examination: Under Article 9 of the Regulation on the Duties, Powers, Responsibilities and Training of Workplace Physicians and Other Health Personnel, periodic examinations for child, young and pregnant workers in groups requiring special policies are repeated at least every 6 months. The workplace physician shortens this interval if needed. For the intervals for other workers, see our article on periodic examinations and tests.
- When circumstances change: If a risk is identified to the physical or mental development or safety of a child or young worker, the necessary medical checks are carried out as soon as possible (Child and Young Workers Regulation Art. 13).
Where workplace measurements or tests are needed, we plan them with authorised laboratories and healthcare providers. The 2026 base administrative fine for failing to carry out health surveillance is 22,194 TL per worker.
The employer's documentation, training and risk assessment obligations
An employer employing young workers should take the following steps:
- Written employment contract: A written contract is made with the child or young worker's parent or guardian (Art. 12).
- Informing the parent: The work to be done, the risks that may be encountered and the measures taken are explained to the parent or guardian.
- Student certificate: A document showing that a child attending school is a student is obtained before they start work and kept in the personnel file.
- Risk assessment: Article 10 of Law No. 6331 requires the situation of groups requiring special policies, such as young workers, to be taken into account separately in the risk assessment.
- Training: Before they start work, the risks at the workplace, adaptation to the job and their legal rights are explained (Art. 13). Article 20 of the 2026 training regulation also requires young workers aged 15–18 to receive training suited to their characteristics. For the first day, our article on induction training offers guidance.
In addition, employers or employer representatives convicted of crimes against children or of crimes involving moral turpitude cannot employ child or young workers (Art. 11).
For another group requiring special protection, see our article on pregnant and breastfeeding workers. For health surveillance of young workers, see our workplace physician services, and for placement and risk assessment, our OHS specialist services; you can calculate possible fine amounts with the OHS administrative fines tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the child worker age?
As a general rule, employing children under 15 is prohibited. Children who have turned 14 and completed the compulsory primary education age may work only in the light work in Annex 1 of the regulation; children under 14 may work only in art, cultural and advertising activities, with a contract and separate permission.
Can a 17-year-old young worker work the night shift?
No. Night work by workers under 18 in industrial jobs is prohibited by Article 73 of the Labour Law; the regulation also treats work falling within the night period as prohibited for those under 18. Night starts no later than 20:00 and lasts until no earlier than 06:00.
How often is a young worker's health report renewed?
After the pre-employment examination, periodic examinations are repeated at least every 6 months. The workplace physician may shorten this interval if needed. In hazardous and very hazardous work, a young worker cannot start without a fitness-for-work report.
Can a young worker work overtime?
The regulation sets upper limits on a young worker's daily and weekly working hours: for a young worker who has turned 15 and does not attend school, 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. Do not set up a working pattern that exceeds these limits; the 14 hours of uninterrupted daily rest must also be protected.
A physician assigned for the time your hazard class requires: pre-employment and periodic examinations, fitness-for-work reports and health surveillance.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.