['Wage and Hour']
['Breaks and Meal Periods']
06/13/2024
...
SEARCH
Summary of differences between federal and state regulations
Breaks
Federal law does not require that employers provide rest periods or coffee/snack breaks. However, when employers do offer short breaks, usually lasting between five to 20 minutes, the breaks must be considered work time and employees are paid for the time.
Rhode Island does not address breaks, but has provisions for nursing mothers.
Nursing mothers
An employer with one or more employees may provide reasonable unpaid break time each day to an employee who needs to breastfeed or express breast milk for her infant child to maintain milk supply and comfort. The break time must, if possible, run concurrently with any break time already provided to the employee. An employer is not required to provide break time under this section if doing so would create an undue hardship on the operations of the employer.
An employer shall make a reasonable effort to provide a private, secure and sanitary room or other location in close proximity to the work area, other than a toilet stall, where an employee can express her milk or breastfeed her child. “Reasonable efforts” means any effort that would not impose an undue hardship on the operation of the employer’s business. “Undue hardship” means any action that requires significant difficulty or expense when considered in relation to factors such as the size of the business, its financial resources and the nature and structure of its operation.
Meal periods
Federal law does not require that employers provide meal periods. Bona fide meal periods, which typically last between 30 and 60 minutes, serve a different purpose than a break. During meal periods, the employee must be completely relieved from duty. Bona fide meal periods are not considered work time and are not compensable. If an employee is not totally relieved of job duties during the time he or she is eating a meal, then the employee must be paid for that time.
Rhode Island employees are entitled to a 20-minute mealtime within a six-hour work shift, and a 30-minute mealtime with an eight-hour work shift. The employer does not have to pay an employee for mealtime. These provisions do not apply to an:
- Employer of a health care facility licensed in according to chapter 23-17 of the general laws; or
- Employer who employs less than three people on any shift at the worksite.
State
Contact
Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training
Regulations
Title 28, Chapter 28-3, Employment of Women and Children, § 28-3-14
www.rilin.state.ri.us/statutes/title28/28-3/28-3-14.htm
Title 23, Chapter 23-13.2, § 23-13.2-1, Workplace policies protecting a woman’s choice to breastfeed
www.rilin.state.ri.us/Statutes/TITLE23/23-13.2/23-13.2-1.HTM
Federal
Contact
The US Department of Labor is the federal agency that monitors hours worked.
Regulations
U.S. labor regulations for hours worked can be found in CFR 29: Part 785 Rest Periods and Meal Periods.
READ MORESHOW LESS
['Wage and Hour']
['Breaks and Meal Periods']
Load More
J. J. Keller is the trusted source for DOT / Transportation, OSHA / Workplace Safety, Human Resources, Construction Safety and Hazmat / Hazardous Materials regulation compliance products and services. J. J. Keller helps you increase safety awareness, reduce risk, follow best practices, improve safety training, and stay current with changing regulations.
Copyright 2024 J. J. Keller & Associate, Inc. For re-use options please contact copyright@jjkeller.com or call 800-558-5011.