Home > Educators and Families > Parents > Learn Now > Young Worker Safety


Young Worker Safety

FAST FACTS > Facts on Young Worker Safety
The 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse found that young people ages 14 - 15 are those most likely to engage in violent behavior. Nine percent reported fighting to inflict serious harm. *

Our thanks to Chris Chiara of the Education Development Center for providing guidance and information for this page. www.edc.org.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, every year about 70 teens die from work-related injuries in the United States. About 77,000 are hurt badly enough to go to the emergency room. Leading causes of fatal injuries are work-related motor vehicle injuries, work-related homicides, and injuries associated with machinery.

In its brochure, Parents' Primer, the National Consumers League strongly recommends that parents take the following steps to assure their child's safety at work:

  • Do not allow your teen to work alone or without adult supervision.

  • Before your child starts a job, meet the employer and arrange a tour where your child will work. Ask about duties, the equipment he or she will use, and safety training.

  • Visit your child's place of employment frequently as a customer. These visits will give you an opportunity to see changes in job duties, supervision and equipment.

  • Set limits on the hours worked so that your teen can keep up with school as well as social activities.

Federal and state laws regulate work hours for younger teenagers. No federal restrictions restrict employment of teens 16 or older. For young workers, ages 14 and 15, no work is permitted between the hours of 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. (except 9 p.m. from June1 through Labor Day. Maximum hours of work include 3 hours on school days and 8 hours on non-school days. When school is in session, total hours are limited to 18. When school is not in session, total hours are limited to 40.

State laws may have additional requirements. Child labor laws are specific to each state. Go to www.ilsa.net and click on "State Contacts" on the navigation bar.

Resources

Government agencies

U.S. Department of Labor.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Teen Workers. Information for parents, employers, educators and teen workers.
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/teenworkers/index.html

U.S. Department of Labor.
Youth Rules. Regulations affecting young workers.
Special section on agricultural employment.
http://www.youthrules.dol.gov/

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Young Worker Safety and Health.
Information on specific workplace hazards.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/youth


Additional sites
Committee on Health and Safety Implications of Child Labor, National Research Council and Institute of Medicine.
Protecting Youth at Work.
National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1998.
www.nap.edu/books/0309064139/html/index.html

Education Development Center.
Promoting Safe Work for Young Workers: A Community-Based Approach.
Reports on lessons learned from three federal government funded projects to raise community awareness of worker safety issues for young people.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/99-141.html

*Fact Box Reference

Working Teens: A Guide for Parents.
A fact sheet prepared by the New Hampshire Teen Work Place Safety Coalition. For more information, call 603-271-3840.