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Federal Agencies Launch Effort
to Help Teen Workers Stay Safe and Healthy on the Job this Summer !
Millions of
American teens are preparing to enter the work force this summer doing a
variety of jobs that will teach them valuable skills. While most will earn
extra money and gain valuable work experience, many risk being seriously or
even fatally injured on the job.
Eighty percent of U.S. teenagers work during their high school years. In
2001, 45,000 teens were injured at work, and 175 died as a result of an on
the job injury.
To address this challenge, numerous federal agencies, collectively known as
the Federal Network for Young Worker Safety and Health (FedNet) have joined
together to educate teens, their parents, counselors and employers on how
young people can stay safe on the job.
FedNet’s latest web-based product, Teen Summer Jobs: Safety Pays is
available at www.osha.gov/teens. It provides teen worker safety and health
materials in English and Spanish. Topics covered include safe driving, lawn
care, life guarding, farm work, construction, parks and recreation and
restaurants.
“This new resource will help teen-agers get the information necessary to
keep them safe on the job,” said OSHA Administrator John Henshaw. “By
providing practical information on a wide range of work activities, we can
help ensure that young people have safe and healthy work experiences.”
There are five basic things teens can do to help reduce the risk of injuries
and illnesses:
•Talk to their employer;
•Know their workplace rights;
•Stay alert and work safe;
•Get safety and health training;
•Find and follow practical safety tips like those found on FedNet’s website.
The nine FedNet agencies committed to coordinating their efforts to help
reduce work-related injuries and illnesses among teen-age workers include
the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Education, Health & Human Services,
Interior, Labor, Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency
OSHA’s role is to assure the safety and health of America’s workers by
setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and
education; establishing partnerships; and encouragingcontinual improvement
in workplace safety and health. For more information,- visit www.osha.gov.
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