Teaching Young Workers About � Job Safety and Health

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health �Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ��National Young Worker Safety Resource Centers

Labor Occupational Health Program, U.C. Berkeley�Education Development Center, Inc., Newton, MA

Youth@Work: Talking Safety

You will learn about:

• Some of the ways people (both youth and adults) can get hurt on the job.
• What to do if you see something at work that could hurt you or make you sick.
• What legal rights all workers have to make sure their jobs are safe.
• What extra protections young workers have under child labor laws.

What is Your Experience with Work?

• Have you ever had a job?
• Where did you work?
• What did you do?
• Have you ever been hurt at work, or do you know someone who was?

Examples of Teen Work Injuries�John’s Story

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The Impact of Work Injuries

Why do you think this happened?

What could have prevented John from getting hurt?

Job: Fast food worker

Injury: Slipped on greasy floor

Examples of Teen Work Injuries�Antonio’s Story

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Why do you think this happened?

What could have prevented Antonio from being killed?

Job: Construction helper

Injury: Death from falling from roof

The Impact of Work Injuries

Examples of Teen Work Injuries�Keisha’s Story

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Job: Computer data entry

Injury: Repetitive stress injury

Why do you think this happened?

What could have prevented Keisha from getting hurt?

The Impact of Work Injuries

Examples of Teen Work Injuries�Francisco’s Story

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Job: Landscaping worker

Injury: Death

Why do you think this happened?

What could have prevented Francisco from being Killed?

The Impact of Work Injuries

Teen Work Injury Statistics

• Many youth are injured on the job:
• 250,000 <18-year-olds injured/year in the US
• 84,000 <18-year-olds to the ER for work injuries
• 70 <18-year-olds die each year
• 90 18-19 year-olds die each year
• Young workers are injured at a higher rate than adult workers.

Where are Teens Injured?

Where Teens Work

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Teen Work Injury Statistics

Where Teens are Injured

Your Safety IQ Quiz

• The law says your employer must give you training about health and safety hazards on the job.

___True ___ False

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• The law sets limits on how late you can work on a school night if you are under 16.

___True ___ False

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• If you are 16 years old you are allowed to drive a car on public streets as part of your job.

___True ___ False

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Your Safety IQ Quiz, continued

• If you are injured on the job, your employer must pay for your medical care.

___ True ___ False

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• How many teens get injured on the job every year in the U.S.?

___ One per day ___ One per hour

___ One every 7 minutes

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Why are Young Workers Injured � at High Rates?

Teens: The Hazards We Face in the Workplace

Video and Discussion

Key Points of This Training

You will learn more about:

• Identifying and reducing hazards on the job
• Laws that protect teens from working too late or too long
• Laws that protect teens from doing dangerous work
• How to solve health and safety problems at work
• What agencies enforce health and safety laws and child labor laws
• What to do in an emergency.

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Job Hazards

A job hazard is anything at work that can hurt you either physically or mentally.

• Safety hazards: knives, hot grease, etc.
• Chemical hazards: dusts, gases, vapors
• Biological hazards: living organisms
• Other health hazards: noise, radiation, repetitive movements, heat, cold, stress

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Find the Hazards: Fast Food

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Illustrated Workplaces

Find the Hazards: Grocery Store

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Illustrated Workplaces

Find the Hazards: Office

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Illustrated Workplaces

Find the Hazards: Gas Station

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Illustrated Workplaces

Hazard Mapping Activity

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Finding Hazards: Key Points

• Every job has health and safety hazards
• You should always be aware of these hazards
• Find out about chemicals at work by checking labels, readings MSDSs, and getting training.

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Controlling Hazards

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Remove

the Hazard

(e.g., use safer

chemicals)

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Work Policies and

Procedures

(e.g., assign enough people

to do the job)

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Personal Protective Equipment

(e.g., wear gloves, use a respirator)

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Eliminating or Reducing Hazards�Jamie’s Story

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$25,000 Safety Pyramid Game

Job: Hospital dishwasher

Injury: Dishwashing chemical splashed in eye

Eliminating or Reducing Hazards�Billy’s Story

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$25,000 Safety Pyramid Game

Job: Fast food worker

Injury: Burned hand on grill

Eliminating or Reducing Hazards�Stephen’s Story

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$25,000 Safety Pyramid Game

Job: Grocery store clerk

Injury: Hurt back while loading boxes

Eliminating or Reducing Hazards�Terry’s Story

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$25,000 Safety Pyramid Game

Job: Grocery store deli clerk

Injury: Cut finger on meat slicer

Eliminating or Reducing Hazards�Chris’ Story

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$25,000 Safety Pyramid Game

Job: City public works employee

Injury: Fainted due to heat

Eliminating or Reducing Hazards�James’ Story

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$25,000 Safety Pyramid Game

Job: Pizza shop employee

Injury: Repetitive motion injury

Eliminating or Reducing Hazards�Maria’s Story

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$25,000 Safety Pyramid Game

Job: Farmworker

Injury: Pesticide poisoning

Eliminating or Reducing Hazards�Sara’s Story

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$25,000 Safety Pyramid Game

Job: Nursing aide

Injury: Back, neck, and shoulder pain

Eliminating or Reducing Hazards�Brent’s Story

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$25,000 Safety Pyramid Game

Job: Pallet making

Injury: Amputated arm

Making the Job Safer: Key Points

• OSHA requires employers to provide a safe workplace.
• It’s best to get rid of a hazard completely, if possible.
• If your employer can’t get rid of the hazard, there are usually many ways to protect you from it.

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Emergencies at Work

What is an emergency at work?

An unplanned event that harms or threatens employees, customers, or the public; that shuts down business operations; or that causes physical or environmental damage.

Emergencies at Work: Key Points

• Every workplace should have an emergency action plan
• The plan should cover:
• What to do in different emergencies
• Where shelters and meeting places are
• Evacuation routes
• Emergency equipment and alert systems
• Who’s in charge
• Procedures to follow when someone is injured
• The workplace should have practice drills
• Workers should be trained on everything in the plan.

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Know Your Rights: Key Points

• Federal and state labor laws:
• Set minimum age for some tasks
• Protect teens from working too long, too late or too early
• OSHA says every employer must provide:
• A safe workplace
• Safety training on certain hazards
• Safety equipment
• By law, your employer is not allowed to fire or punish you for reporting a safety problem.

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Handling Workplace Safety Problems

Steps in Problem Solving

• Define the problem
• Get advice
• Choose your goals
• Know your rights
• Decide the best way to talk to the supervisor
• If necessary, contact an outside agency

for help.

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Summing Up

• Know your rights
• Know your responsibilities
• Know your employer’s responsibilities
• Know how to solve problems.

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Resources for More Information

Websites

www.youthrules.dol.gov

www.osha.gov/SLTC/teenworkers

www.youngworkers.org

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Resources for More Information

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

www.cdc.gov/niosh

1-800-232-4636

National Young Worker Resource Center Offices

Labor Occupational Health Program

University of California Berkeley

2223 Fulton Street, 4^th floor, Berkeley, CA 94720-5120

tel: 510-642-5507; fax: 510-643-5698

dbush@berkeley.edu

rdewey@berkeley.edu

Education Development Center, Inc.

55 Chapel Street, Newton, MA 02458

tel: 617-618-2238

cmiara@edc.org

www.youngworkers.org

Know Your Rights

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Jeopardy Game

Emergencies at Work

• Disaster Blaster Game

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• Emergencies in the News activity

Student Handout #8

Disaster Blaster

Know Your Rights�Labor Law BINGO Game

Board #1

Student Handout #13

Labor Law Bingo Game