Seventy young workers are killed on the job each year and 200,000 are injured. With all of us working together we can change those numbers. Most teens work in retail establishments restaurants, supermarkets and stores. Others work on farms or in summer camps and amusement parks. Most deaths of young workers are caused by car crashes and tractor rollovers.
Homicide is another leading cause of death.
Too often, teens are left working alone late at night in stores that become the subject of a violent crime. And too many teens get injured while operating meat slicing machines and dough mixers. Under federal provisions, operating paper balers, meat slicers, dough mixers and wood-working machines and most driving are designated as too dangerous for workers under 18. Hours also are restricted for workers under 16, although during the summer months they may work 40 hours during a workweek and until 9 p.m. During school months, the hours are limited to after 7 a.m. and before 7 p.m., with a limit of 18 hours in a school week. Representatives of the National Association of Government Labor Officials and the Interstate Labor Standards Association have joined the Labor Department to coordinate common efforts in protecting youth in the workplace.