A free, fun, and fast curriculum

for middle and high schools

Giving youth

work readiness skills

to keep them

safe and healthy

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Why do youth get hurt, sick, or 

killed on the job?

Teens work in a variety of industries, 

from food service to farming. They get 

hurt at twice the rate of adult workers. 

Employers are responsible for making 

workplaces safe. But youth often lack 

proper supervision, safety awareness, 

and training.

True Stories

 17-year-old Darnell lost a finger in a 

food shredder at a fast food restaurant.

 16-year-old Maria was robbed and 

assaulted at gunpoint while working 

alone at a clothing shop.

 15-year-old Katie suffered a severe 

burn while working as a barista. 

 14-year-old Wayne died after falling into 

a feed grinder while working on a farm.

What teachers say about Talking Safety

“It opened a lot of eyes!”

Florida

“The kids loved talking about their jobs.”

Illinois

“Students loved the games, the skits

 and the role play!” 

Louisiana

Where can I get more information?

Refer to the following sources for more information about 

young worker safety and health topics:

Young Worker Safety and Health

www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/youth/

Talking Safety

www.cdc.gov/niosh/talkingsafety/

NIOSH

Telephone: 1–800–CDC–INFO (1–800–232–4636)

TTY: 1–800–232–6348 | E-mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov

CDC-INFO: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/dcs/RequestForm.aspx

NIOSH Website: www.cdc.gov/niosh

For a monthly update on news at NIOSH, subscribe to 

NIOSH eNews by visiting www.cdc.gov/niosh/eNews

February 2015

Illustration credits: Chi-Yun Lau

Safer • Healthier • PeopleTM

DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2015–110

Bring Talking Safety to school today.

Save a life tomorrow.
Tragedies at work don’t have to happen. Help young people get the skills they need to stay safe and healthy on the job!

What is Talking Safety?

Talking Safety is a free, 

interactive, curriculum 

that teaches essential 

work readiness skills 

to middle and high 

school students. The 

curriculum helps

young people to:

 Receive vital work readiness skills they can 

use in any workplace, now and in the future.

 Increase their awareness of workplace 

safety risks and hazards.

 Communicate with employers and 

protect themselves from job hazards.

 Know their rights and responsibilities on 

the job.

 Have a positive and active attitude 

toward workplace safety and health.

 Know how to respond to emergencies on 

the job.

It contributes to academic 

performance.

Studies show that when a teen is hurt on 

the job, s/he can experience a negative 

impact on academic performance. Keeping 

youth healthy and safe on the job is crucial 

to helping them succeed in the classroom.

It fits into school health and work 

readiness programs.

Talking Safety is aligned with the Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention’s 

(CDC’s) National Health Education 

Standards (NHES), the Common Core 

State Standards (CCSS), and the Common 

Career Technical Core (CCTC).

You can also use Talking Safety in career 

education/work readiness programs, 

internship programs, and in other 

training situations for young workers.

Does Talking Safety work?

Yes! The curriculum was pilot tested in 

16 high schools across the United States. 

It was shown to increase students’ 

knowledge of workplace safety and 

health and gave them vital skills for 

protecting themselves on the job. 

What can you do to protect

teen workers? 

Make Youth@Work: Talking Safety part 

of the school health and work readiness 

programs in your district.

Did you know?

Every minute, a young person in the United 

States is injured on the job.

By the time they finish high school, 80% 

of U.S. teens have held a job. But the vast 

majority of them enter the workforce 

unprepared for the challenges—and 

hazards—they face.

Use the free, Youth@Work: Talking Safety

curriculum from the National Institute for 

Occupational Safety and Health, (NIOSH) to 

give your students the vital work readiness 

skills they need to stay safe and healthy on 

the job now—and throughout their lives.

A Safety & Health Curriculum

for Young Workers