The Younger Face of Workplace Safety

The YOUNGER FACE of WORKPLACE SAFETY Every nine minutes a teenage worker is injured on the job. In 2012, more than 170,000 young workers were injured in the workplace and 361 were killed STATISTICS ON YOUNG/TEEN WORKERS OVERALL EMPLOYED YOUTH GEORGIA TECH INSTITUTE ESTIMATES 14% OF LABOR MARKET 2013: OVER 18 MILLION WORKERS AGED 24 OR YOUNGER 2011: 1.3 MILLION EMPLOYEES AGED 16-17 FIELDS SERVICE & HOSPITALITY ) HOSPITALITY / FOOD 45% RETAIL / SALES 24% SERVICES / OTHER 19% Employs almost 60% of working 16 and 17-year-olds OFFICE WORK 4% CONSTRUCTION 5% AGRICULTURE 3% 49% of nearly one million youths living on farms help with agricultural labor 259,000 HIRED FOR FARM WORK SALARY HOURLY WORKERS OVER IDAHO, LOUISIANA 75 MILLION OKLAHOMA, TEXAS: States with highest percentage of minimum wage workers workers (age 16+) paid hourly SERVICE 60% of wage and salary earners 36 MILLION LEISURE & HOSPITALITY ALASKA, CALIFORNIA OREGON, MONTANA, WASHINGTON Most common occupations for minimum wage or less (less than 5% of hourly workers) paid minimum wage ($7.25/hour) or less States with lowest percentage of minimum wage workers AGE DIFFERENCE 21% 20% 2EHOURLY WORKERS OF TEENS PAID HOURLY ARE 20-25 YEARS OLD 50% paid minimum wage ($7.25/hour) RECEIVE MINIMUM WAGE OR LESS (compared to 48% of workers age 25+) WORKPLACE INJURIES FOR TEENS GEORGIA TECH INSTITUTE ON YOUNG WORKERS (AGE 15-24) AS LIKELY AS OLDER A200,000 70 WORKERS TO VISIT EMERGENCY WARD ON-THE-JOB INJURY PHYSICAL INJURIES | COUNTED BY ER TRIPS, MISSED WORK DAYS, ETC. ANNUAL JOB-RELATED A ONE TEEN HURT ON THE JOB EVERY NINE MINUTES TEEN DEATHS SPECIFIC FIELDS WORST INDUSTRY FOR YOUTH NON- FATAL INJURIES SECOND WORST FOR YOUTH INJURIES MUCH HIGHER INJURY RISKS THAN BABYSITTING FOOD SERVICE RETAIL CONSTRUCTION & OFFICE WORK INJURY STATISTICS PER INDUSTRY HOSPITALITY (+ restaurants) 46% RETAIL 31% 14% 5% SERVICES CONSTRUCTION/MANUFACTURING/TRANSPORTATION OFFICE 2% AGRICULTURE WORKPLACE HAZARDS IN SPECIFIC FIELDS OVERALL HAZARDS 50% 25% 17% USE POWER TOOLS USE FRYERS & FOOD SLICERS MANAGE HEAVY MACHINERY 30% DRIVE VEHICLES & FORKLIFTS USE LADDERS & SCAFFOLDING BETWEEN 33% - 45% OF YOUTHS RECEIVE NO TRAINING 80% REPORT CONDITIONS | VIOLATING LABOR LAWS most hazardous occupation AGRICULTURE for working youths CONSTRUCTION Second highest death rates after agriculture Teens (16 or younger) 65% 4X (Bureau of Labor) MORE LIKELY FOR TEENS TO DIE 2X TEENS (15-17) HAVE THE DEATH RISK OF ADULT WORKERS (18-44) OF AGRICULTURE- RELATED DEATHS HIGHER DEATH RATES FOR YOUTHS THAN ADULTS 60% 45% PROVIDED WITH FOUR OR FEWER HOURS OF SAFETY-RELATED TRAINING TEEN DEATHS HAPPEN ON FAMILY FARMS HIGHER DEATH RATES OF YOUNG WORKERS THAN ANY OTHER INDUSTRY SERVICES & MANUFACTURING Lower death rates for youths vs. adults 17% 70/ OF WORK-RELATED YOUTH /0 FATALITIES HAPPEN AFTER DARK PHYSICAL 31% VERBAL 55% ASSAULTS ON YOUNG WORKERS INITIATED BY CUSTOMERS SUGGESTIONS CREATING A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR YOUNGER WORKERS OVERCOME LACK OF EXPERIENCE PROVIDE MORE SUPERVISION (and "invincible" feeling) by explaining protocol re: machine breakdowns & safety hazards 1% 25%+ OF YOUTHS IN RETAIL & SERVICE TEENS WORK WITHOUT DON'T HAVE ADULT SUPERVISION AT LEAST 1+ DAY / WEEK NEARBY SUPERVISION 2011 NORTH CAROLINA MEDICAL EXAMINER RECORDS LINKED 35% OF WORKER FATALITIES TO COMPLETELY UNSUPERVISED YOUNG WORKERS PROVIDE MORE TRAINING • Age-related training: on cell phone usage and dangers • Hands-on training: use props (e.g., mannequins) or decommissioned equipment so young workers can get a feel for real-life situations • Videos: updated, age-appropriate safety videos can make a visual impact • Proper equipment: move heavy loads with forklifts, use protective clothing/shoes/gloves to prevent injury or exposure, limit hearing loss with ear plugs PAIR YOUTHS WITH EXPERIENCED WORKERS WHO CAN ANSWER WORK-RELATED QUESTIONS ON SAFETY HAZARDS BUDDY SYSTEM OVER 30% REPORT HURRYING ALLOW MORE TIME OR FEELING RUSHED TO FINISH THE JOB Sources: http://www.natlawreview.com/article/younger-face-workplace-safety-and-what-osha-doing-about-it http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/youth/data.html http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2013-144/pdfs/2013-144-pdf https://www.osha.gov/dte/grant_materials/fy10/sh-20848-10/mod_2_3.ppt http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2013/08/30/children-as-young-as-10-can-do-farm-work-in-some-states http://lohp.org/teens-lead-at-work/ (illustrations?) http://labor-employment-law.lawyers.com/us-children-illegally-working-farm-and-office-jobs.html (statistics) http://www.youthrules.dol.gov/pdf/areyouateenworker.pdf http://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2o11.htm http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/print/10787-keep-young-workers-safe http://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2012.htm EKU ONLINEE 2012