Category: Young Workers
Keeping Junior Firefighters Safe and Healthy: The Fire Department’s Role in Promoting Positive Childhood Experiences
Historically, junior firefighter programs have been an important recruitment and retention tool for the fire service. Also known as “explorers” or “cadets,” junior firefighters range from 14-17 years of age and are part of volunteer, career, and combination (career/volunteer) fire departments. Most states’ child labor laws limit their participation to only fundraising activities, training, Read More >
Posted on by 8 CommentsA Reflection on World Futures Day 2024: NIOSH Efforts to Help Build a Better Tomorrow
Future Day was first celebrated worldwide on March 1, 2012 as a forward-looking reflection on all the possibilities the future holds for humanity.1 Just two years later, the global think tank Millennium Project helped expand the unofficial holiday into what is now recognized as World Futures Day.2 World Futures Day is structured as an Read More >
Posted on by Leave a commentThe Role of Demographics in the Future of Work
The future of work continues to be shaped by ongoing changes in the workplace, work, and workforce. Shifting workforce demographics will present both opportunities and challenges for occupational safety and health (OSH). A central challenge will be ensuring the equitable distribution of work-related benefits and risks that accompany these transformations. To meet this challenge, Read More >
Posted on by 4 Comments10 Steps Employers Can Take to Keep Young Drivers Safe
From 2011–2019, 846 workers ages 16–24* died in motor vehicle crashes at work, accounting for 26% of all work-related deaths in this age group.1 This week, as we observe National Teen Driver Safety Week, we share recommendations to reduce these preventable deaths by keeping young workers that perform driving duties as part of their Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentKeeping Teens Safe and Healthy at Work: It Takes Teamwork!
For U.S. teens, a summer job is a rite of passage. Research demonstrates that these experiences, whether lifeguarding, working in a restaurant or the local ice cream shop, mowing lawns, or working in the family business, have many benefits.[1] These include helping teens gain independence, valuable job and life skills, and experiences that bridge the Read More >
Posted on by 4 CommentsProtecting Young Workers in Retail Jobs
June, which is National Safety Month, is an appropriate time to focus on young workers, as they head out of school and into the workforce. Many of them will find jobs in the retail industry, a leading employer of young workers in the United States. In 2014, there were approximately 18.1 million workers younger than Read More >
Posted on by 15 CommentsDaylight Saving: Suggestions to help workers adapt to the time change
Spring forward Fall back. We all know the saying to help us remember to adjust our clocks for the daylight saving time changes (this Sunday in case you are wondering). But, what can we do to help workers adjust to the effects of the time change? A few studies have examined these issues but Read More >
Posted on by 15 CommentsPreventing Wood Chipper Fatalities
Last week, a 19-year-old North Carolina teen was killed after being pulled feet first into a wood chipper (see news report). It was his first day on the job. Self-feeding mobile wood chippers commonly used during tree trimming operations consist of a feed mechanism, knives mounted on a rotating chipper disc or drum, and Read More >
Posted on by 13 Comments“Safety Matters” —Bringing Work Safety and Health to the Classroom
Every day, young workers face injury, illness and even death on the job. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that about 1.5 million teenagers from 15 through 17 years old work in the United States. Studies show that nearly 8 of 10 high school students in the United States work at some Read More >
Posted on by 7 CommentsOverlapping Vulnerabilities
Not all workers have the same risk of being injured at work, even when they are in the same industry or have the same occupation. Different factors can make some workers more vulnerable than others to workplace illness or injury. These include social dynamics, such as age, race, class, and gender; economic trends, such Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsPreventing Skin Cancer
As the nation’s doctor, I recently launched a Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer to address the rising rates of skin cancer in the U.S. While nearly 5 million people are treated for skin cancer each year in the U.S., with an annual cost of $8.1 billion, most cases are preventable. Although people with Read More >
Posted on by 35 CommentsNational Doughnut Day
Whether you are celebrating National Doughnut Day today with the traditional glazed or a trendy bacon-infused delicacy, take a moment to think about those who bring you these sugary breakfast treats. We are not passing judgment nor endorsing your breakfast selection (that question is better addressed by you and your nutritionist) but instead encouraging all Read More >
Posted on by 12 CommentsYou Can Help Keep Your Kids Safe at Work
Are you the parent of a teen or young adult? Chances are he or she is looking for or has found a summer job. Work provides teenagers with job skills, independence, and unique experiences that help them transition to adulthood. Despite the benefits of work for young people, a number of hazards exist in the Read More >
Posted on by 21 CommentsSafety and Health for Younger Workers
As we approach the time of year when many young people start summer jobs, we all need to do our part to keep them safe at work. On average each year from 1998 to 2007, about 800,000 workers 15 to 24 years of age were treated in emergency departments and nearly 600 died from work-related injuries. Younger workers were twice as likely as their older counterparts to be treated in hospital emergency departments for work-related injuries. Read More >
Posted on by 15 CommentsYouth@Work: Talking Safety
Millions of teens in the United States work. Approximately 2.4 million 16- and 17-year-olds worked in the United States in 2006. Surveys indicate that 80% of teens have worked by the time they finish high school. While few would argue that most work provides numerous benefits for young people, it can also be dangerous. Read More >
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