What about the workers?

IT IS ESTIMATED that nearly 75% of the nation’s teens will have a job by the time they graduate from high school. In 2004, approximately 2.2 million adolescents were in the workforce (Windau & Meyer, 2005). Unlike adult workers, young workers move in and out of employment, work part-time and do not typically work to support a family. Nationwide, most teens work in the retail sector—primarily in restaurants and grocery stores. Many also work in service industries such as healthcare, hospitality and agriculture. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 97% of employed youths worked for a wage (versus being self-employed or family workers). While the focus of this article is on those under age 18, developmentally the same risk factors and prevention strategies presented are comparable for workers in their midto late-20s. Obtaining an accurate estimate of those who are working and those who are injured is problematic since state and federal data sources differ in reporting requirements and the age range that is used in collecting or reporting the data. Also, denominator data are incomplete because the U.S. Census Bureau stopped collecting occupational data for those under age 16 in 1970. The data presented in this article provide a sample to help SH&E professionals understand the need for extra attention to adolescent and young adult workers. [In this article, the terms “youth” or “young workers” refer to the general age range of 14 to 24. Teens are considered those age 13 to 19. ] Young workers are exposed to many of the same occupational risks as their adult counterparts. For various reasons, they are more likely to be injured than adult workers. Data indicate that teens are injured at a rate at least two times higher than adults in some occupational sectors (NIOSH, 2006). Nationally, it is estimated that nearly 230,000 teens suffer work-related injuries each year, with one-third (n = 77,000) of these seeking care in emergency rooms. In keeping with employment patterns, more than 80% of these injuries occur in the retail or service industries (NIOSH, 2003). Work-related fatalities among this population are also of concern. Between 1992 and 2000, an average of 68 workers age 18 and younger died annually (Windau & Meyer, 2005); this decreased to 54 deaths in 2005 (BLS, 2005). Between 1993 and 2002, fatalities for workers age 14 to 15 increased 34%. Consistently, the leading causes of death are motor vehicles, agricultural machinery and homicide. As Figure 1 shows, fatal work injuries to workers under age 18 Mary E. Miller, R.N. , M.N. , is an occupational health nurse and child labor specialist in the Employment Standards Program of the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. She holds a B.S. in Community Health Planning from the University of Cincinnati, a B.S. in Nursing from Case Western Reserve University and a Master’s of Nursing with a specialty in occupational and environmental health from the University of Washington. Miller is active in the Occupational Health and Safety Section of the American Public Health Association and received its Alice Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. She is also cochair of the national Young Workers’ Health and Safety Network.