The province is changing the Employment Standards Act to limit what jobs and activities teenage employees can perform, putting age limits of 16 and 18 years old on certain activities in the workplace in an effort to increase safety.  Businesses employing workers under the age of 18 should review the below changes coming into effect on January 1st to ensure they are compliant with this new regulations. 

The age restrictions will not apply to industry training programs overseen by SkilledTradesBC, and will not apply to current employees who are within six months of reaching the prescribed age will be excluded from the age requirements.

In the new year, there will be a minimum wage of 16 or 18 required for certain types of work that is deemed too hazardous for younger workers:

• Workers must be a minimum age of 16 to undertake the following activities:
  • construction;
  • silviculture;
  • forest firefighting; and
  • working from heights that require fall protection.


• Workers must be a minimum age of 18 to undertake the following activities:
  • tree falling and logging;
  • using a chainsaw;
  • work in a production process at a pulp, paper, saw, shake or shingle mill;
  • work in a production process at a foundry, metal processing or metal fabrication operation, refinery or smelter;
  • powerline construction or maintenance where an electrical hazard exists;
  • oil or gas field servicing and drilling;
  • work with dangerous equipment in fish, meat or poultry processing facilities;
  • silica process/exposure to silica dust;
  • work in which a worker is or may be exposed to potentially harmful levels of asbestos;
  • exposure to harmful levels of radiation;
  • working in a confined space or underground workings; and
  • work requiring a respirator.