WORKPLACE HEALTH: Topic of Concern - Young Workers
Our Involvement | Research | Other Resources
About Young Workers
Young workers are exposed to many of the same occupational risks as their adult counterparts, but for various reasons, they are twice as likely to be injured than are adult workers. Some of these incidents involve serious injuries causing life-long disability. Teens have also been killed on the job. Each year at least 1,000 youth under the age of 18 are injured on the job in Washington state.
Although many hazardous duties are prohibited by law for workers under 18, the majority of these injuries occur during work that is permitted by child labor regulations. Teens are our future adult workforce and are a vulnerable population that needs special protections.
The leading causes of death are motor vehicles, agricultural machinery and homicide. Nationally it is estimated that 230,000 teens suffer work-related injuries each year, with 77,000, or one-third, of these seeking care in emergency rooms.
Recently, construction-related jobs have been identified as having high injury and fatality rates for this age group, with up to 84 percent of youth in these jobs performing prohibited activities. Agriculture is also another high-hazard industry for youth, as it is for adults.
UW Involvement
Staff
Outreach
- NORA town hall
- Journalist workshop, "Children and agriculture: Telling the story," cosponsored by our Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health (PNASH) Center, the National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, and the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, October 2006, Wenatchee, Washington
- Continuing education course: Agricultural Health and Safety for Children and Teens, November 2, 2000, Yakima, Washington
- Continuing education course: It's not your father's workplace: Promoting wellness among the changing and diverse workforce and workplace, October 17, 2007, Seaside, OR (Northwest Occupational Health Conference)
Services
- Health and Safety Awareness for Working Teens
- For the "Teen Workers: Real Jobs, Real Risks" video or the "Health and Safety Awareness for Working Teens"" curriculum, contact Darren Linker at dlinker@u.washington.edu
- School Woodshop Safety Training
News Coverage
- Caution: Teens at Work, Northwest Public Health Fall/Winter 2006
- Mall Workers: 'Just my job,' Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorial Nov. 22, 2005, quoting Darren Linker
- Stages of Working Life: Teen Workers, Environmental Health News autumn 2005
- New curriculum materials for working teens (PDF download), Environmental Health Voices fall 2004
- Helping teens protect themselves from workplace hazards (PDF download), Environmental Health Voices fall 2003
- On-the-job safety is major concern for minors, The Seattle Times April 26, 2003
- L&I urges employers to keep kids away from workplace hazards, Aug 14, 2003
- Teen jobs more risky than they seem, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Aug, 2, 2003
- "Fashions" in personal protection: Teens attend Governor's Industrial Safety and Health Conference, Environmental Health Voices spring 2002
- Preparing teenagers to work safely, DEOHS Biennial Report 1997-1999
Research
Graduate Students
- David Bonauto, MPH (2000)
- A telephone survey of work and injuries in teenage agricultural workers in an eastern Washington community (Matthew Keifer)
Peer-reviewed Publications
Bonauto DK, Keifer M, Rivara FP, Alexander BH. A community-based telephone survey of work and injuries in teenage agricultural workers. J Agric Saf Health 2003; 9(4):303-17
Linker D, Miller ME, Freeman KS, Burbacher T (2005). Health and safety awareness for working teens: Developing a successful, statewide program for educating teen workers. Family and Community Health 28(3):225-238.
Abstracts
Conference Presentations
High School Student Program - Washington Governor's Safety and Health Conference
Each year "Workplace Health and Safety for Teenagers" is the focus of a special one-day student program as part of the annual Governor's Industrial Safety and Health Conference. This interactive program is a great opportunity for both high school students and their teachers to learn about new career opportunities, to see the relevance of health and safety to different industries, and to learn about their rights as young workers. In past years, the student program has included activities such as a unique fashion show that features personal protective equipment, hands-on ergonomic activities, an exhibit hall search, and even an opportunity for students to meet with the Governor of Washington.
American Public Health Association
Linker, D. Teen workers: Real jobs, real risks (APHA Film Festival), American Public Health Association, November 2006, Boston, MA
Linker, D, Feldman, D, Patterson, D, Freeman, K, Burbacher, T. Workplace health and safety curriculum use by Washington educators: A three year follow-up evaluation, American Public Health Association, November 2004, Washington, DC
Hall KJ, Linker DA, Miller ME. Historically speaking: Why some teen workers are excluded from child labor laws, American Public Health Association, November 2004, Washington, DC
Linker, D, Miller, M, Pound, L. Using technology to teach safety and health to vocational students: A new tool for wood shop teachers, American Public Health Association, November 2003, San Francisco, CA
Linker, D, Miller M. Lessons learned from an evaluation of Washington state's Youth at Work project, American Public Health Association, November 2002, Philadelphia, PA
Other Resources
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. NIOSH Alert: Preventing Deaths, Injuries, and Illnesses of Young Workers. Cincinnati, OH: DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2003-128.
Labor Occupational Health Program. University of California at Berkeley.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Young Worker Safety and Health
OSHA. Teen Workers. US Department of Labor.
Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. Teen Workers.
