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Hire/Host a Minor

September 22, 2021

Minors Program

For the latest update on the MIT Minors Policy visit minors.mit.edu.

Overview

The procedures for Minors include the EHS procedures described below and the procedures described on the Protection of Minors site. Links are included in the EHS procedures below to assist users when they need to refer to a specific section of the other website.

The EHS procedures are for individuals and groups that involve activities in labs, shops and other areas that have health- and safety-related hazards.

The Protection of Minors site explains the procedures that apply to all types of minors, which includes the MIT Policy on the Employment of Minors, Hours, Registration, Transportation, MIT Housing, Health/Medical, and Background checks. It also covers the procedures for programs (groups) and for individual minors that do not involve health- and safety-related hazards,

The Risk Management & Compliance Services, the Office of General Counsel, Human Resources, and the EHS Office collaborated to develop these procedures. These will assist DLCs in hosting minors and high school students (paid and unpaid) at MIT. Prior to hiring or agreeing to host a minor or high school student, the primary supervisor should verify whether there are any specific approval processes required by their DLC.

If you are an EHS Lead Contact or DLC EHS Coordinator, please log in for specific guidance on assisting your DLCs with this process.

Scope

The scope of the EHS procedure includes the jobs, internships, programs, projects, etc. which minors and high school students (refer to next section) will be involved in at MIT, regardless of whether they are paid or unpaid. The EHS Office is available to review any type of activity involving minors and high school students, but our primary focus is activities in labs, shops and other areas that have health and safety-related hazards.

Who is covered by the EHS procedure?

  • A minor, for purposes of this guidance, is anyone under the age of 18 who is not an enrolled MIT student.
  • High school students who are 18 or older and who are working in areas that have health- and safety-related (EHS) hazards and/or will be doing activities with EHS hazards. Note this does not apply to minors who are working in areas  that do not have EHS hazards.
  • Students from other colleges, who are under 18 and who have an appointment to work for a PI in a lab/shop (paid or unpaid).

This EHS procedure does not apply to the following:

  • High School students who have been accepted and are participating in Campus Preview Weekend (CPW), as CPW activities and participants are managed by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, with assistance from EHS, the Office of Insurance, and Division of Student Life.
  • If the minor will be working in a lab off-campus as part of a collaboration project, then the supervisor must contact the MIT EHS Office and minors@mit.edu.

EHS Office staff and DLC EHS Coordinators will email minors@mit.edu about any unusual situations if the answer is not included in the FAQs about Minors.

MIT prohibits interns under the age of 16, whether paid or unpaid. Refer to the MIT Policy on Minors as Employees or Interns for criteria on what is an internship.

Note for EHS: 16-17 year old students can work in labs, shops, and other areas that have EHS-related hazards if the appropriate supervision, precautions, training, etc. are implemented. Students, who are younger than 16 years old, are encouraged to participate in MIT outreach programs until they are 16 years old.

All of the following procedures apply to working in areas that have EHS related hazards and/or using equipment that involve hazards.

For The Principal Investigator, Supervisor, or EHS Rep

EHS-related responsibilities of Principal Investigators, program sponsors, and supervisors (labs, shops, makerspaces, and other areas that have EHS-related hazards): This guidance and the processes are intended to foster a safe environment and prevent exposure to hazardous materials, lab-acquired infections, injuries, etc. Please refer to the General Guidance for Supervising Minors and Who Can Serve as a Supervisor.

  • Principal investigators (PIs), program sponsors, and supervisors are responsible for the safety of the minors and high school students whom they host, just as they are responsible for the safety of their employees and MIT students. While a Primary Supervisor may be designated by the PI, the PI is still ultimately responsible for all aspects of the minor’s/ high school student’s presence in their lab or work area.
  • The “host PI/supervisor” is still responsible when the minor or high school student is working in another PI’s lab or work area. This includes spaces that don’t have a PI but do have a staff member, who supervises the space.
  • A faculty member, PI, supervisor, or a higher-level administrator shall be responsible for each student-run outreach program for minors, which involves EHS-related hazards, and shall designate someone to assume an EHS rep role. The space owners share the responsibility to provide a safe physical environment for the programs that are conducted in their areas.
  • An MIT undergraduate student can’t be solely responsible for a student-run outreach program for minors, which involves EHS-related hazards, and cannot be a supervisor. Refer to the section titled “Programs run by undergraduate students”.

Programs Run by Undergraduate Students Involving Activities in Labs, Workshops or Makerspaces

Note: An undergraduate student can’t do this on their own.

If recognized student group an is interested in creating a new outreach program that involves placing minors and high school students in labs, makerspaces, or workshop areas or activities that have EHS hazards will be done in non-lab/shop spaces, (s)he will need to do the following:

Overview

The procedures for Minors include the EHS procedures described below and the procedures described on the Protection of Minors site. Links are included in the EHS procedures below to assist users when they need to refer to a specific section of the other website.

The EHS procedures are for individuals and groups that involve activities in labs, shops and other areas that have health- and safety-related hazards.

The Protection of Minors site explains the procedures that apply to all types of minors, which includes the MIT Policy on the Employment of Minors, Hours, Registration, Transportation, MIT Housing, Health/Medical, and Background checks. It also covers the procedures for programs (groups) and for individual minors that do not involve health- and safety-related hazards,

The Risk Management & Compliance Services, the Office of General Counsel, Human Resources, and the EHS Office collaborated to develop these procedures. These will assist DLCs in hosting minors and high school students (paid and unpaid) at MIT. Prior to hiring or agreeing to host a minor or high school student, the primary supervisor should verify whether there are any specific approval processes required by their DLC.

If you are an EHS Lead Contact or DLC EHS Coordinator, please log in for specific guidance on assisting your DLCs with this process.

Scope

The scope of the EHS procedure includes the jobs, internships, programs, projects, etc. which minors and high school students (refer to next section) will be involved in at MIT, regardless of whether they are paid or unpaid. The EHS Office is available to review any type of activity involving minors and high school students, but our primary focus is activities in labs, shops and other areas that have health and safety-related hazards.

Who is covered by the EHS procedure?

  • A minor, for purposes of this guidance, is anyone under the age of 18 who is not an enrolled MIT student.
  • High school students who are 18 or older and who are working in areas that have health- and safety-related (EHS) hazards and/or will be doing activities with EHS hazards. Note this does not apply to minors who are working in areas  that do not have EHS hazards.
  • Students from other colleges, who are under 18 and who have an appointment to work for a PI in a lab/shop (paid or unpaid).

This EHS procedure does not apply to the following:

  • High School students who have been accepted and are participating in Campus Preview Weekend (CPW), as CPW activities and participants are managed by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, with assistance from EHS, the Office of Insurance, and Division of Student Life.
  • If the minor will be working in a lab off-campus as part of a collaboration project, then the supervisor must contact the MIT EHS Office and minors@mit.edu.

EHS Office staff and DLC EHS Coordinators will email minors@mit.edu about any unusual situations if the answer is not included in the FAQs about Minors.

MIT prohibits interns under the age of 16, whether paid or unpaid. Refer to the MIT Policy on Minors as Employees or Interns for criteria on what is an internship.

Note for EHS: 16-17 year old students can work in labs, shops, and other areas that have EHS-related hazards if the appropriate supervision, precautions, training, etc. are implemented. Students, who are younger than 16 years old, are encouraged to participate in MIT outreach programs until they are 16 years old.

All of the following procedures apply to working in areas that have EHS related hazards and/or using equipment that involve hazards.

For The Principal Investigator, Supervisor, or EHS Rep

EHS-related responsibilities of Principal Investigators, program sponsors, and supervisors (labs, shops, makerspaces, and other areas that have EHS-related hazards): This guidance and the processes are intended to foster a safe environment and prevent exposure to hazardous materials, lab-acquired infections, injuries, etc. Please refer to the General Guidance for Supervising Minors and Who Can Serve as a Supervisor.

  • Principal investigators (PIs), program sponsors, and supervisors are responsible for the safety of the minors and high school students whom they host, just as they are responsible for the safety of their employees and MIT students. While a Primary Supervisor may be designated by the PI, the PI is still ultimately responsible for all aspects of the minor’s/ high school student’s presence in their lab or work area.
  • The “host PI/supervisor” is still responsible when the minor or high school student is working in another PI’s lab or work area. This includes spaces that don’t have a PI but do have a staff member, who supervises the space.
  • A faculty member, PI, supervisor, or a higher-level administrator shall be responsible for each student-run outreach program for minors, which involves EHS-related hazards, and shall designate someone to assume an EHS rep role. The space owners share the responsibility to provide a safe physical environment for the programs that are conducted in their areas.
  • An MIT undergraduate student can’t be solely responsible for a student-run outreach program for minors, which involves EHS-related hazards, and cannot be a supervisor. Refer to the section titled “Programs run by undergraduate students”.

Programs Run by Undergraduate Students Involving Activities in Labs, Workshops or Makerspaces

Note: An undergraduate student can’t do this on their own.

If recognized student group an is interested in creating a new outreach program that involves placing minors and high school students in labs, makerspaces, or workshop areas or activities that have EHS hazards will be done in non-lab/shop spaces, (s)he will need to do the following: