Young Worker Safety
Young workers can be an asset to the workforce – enthusiastic, hard working and eager to learn. However, young people are at higher risk of work-related injuries and illnesses.
Across the country, the number of young workers injured on the job is alarming — every six minutes a teenager suffers an injury serious enough to require emergency room treatment. Every year more than 150,000 youth suffer work-related injuries and illnesses, and seventy teens die from their injuries. These deaths and injuries are preventable.
State Fund believes information and education leads to a safer workplace and offers tips for youth, colleagues, parents and anyone else who knows a young worker.
An important step to prevent injuries is to recognize workplace dangers. Common job-related accidents/injuries among teens include:
- slips, trips and falls
- strains and sprains
- chemical exposure
- burns and cuts
- hearing loss
- motor vehicle crashes
- electrocution
- machinery malfunctions
Jobs that pose a higher risk for young people include:
- Handling cash late at night in retail stores or fast food operations, especially when alone
- Working around hot oil or grease in restaurants
- Working at heights in construction jobs
- Selling candy and other consumer goods door-to-door and on the street, which poses increased risk of motor vehicle injury and vulnerability to assaults and abductions
- Making deliveries -- driving remains one of the leading causes of job injury and death among 16 & 17 year old workers, even though federal law prohibits driving as an occupation for those under 18
Young workers, as well as their employers, need to be aware of what job and working hours restrictions the California Labor Code mandates for teenagers, as well as wage information.
