On this blog, we are usually speaking to employers or workers. Sometimes we are addressing people in the insurance industry – claims adjusters, safety professionals, insurance geeks, and the like. But today we have a different target audience: parents of teens who are about to embark on their first summer job.
Parents: please do not assume that your kids health and well being will be looked after while on the job – make it your business to dig deeper.
Every year, in some of the most pedestrian-sounding jobs, kids are maimed and killed while working. Who would think that a job in a doughnut shop could lead to a 17-year old drowning in an uncovered cesspool? Or that a summer job on a lawn care crew could result in a 14-year old being killed when pulled into a wood chipper? Some of the most compelling advocates for teen worker safety are teen survivors themselves: Candace Carnahan who lost her leg to a conveyor belt; Kristi Ruth, who lost an arm that was entangled in equipment while working at her family farm; and four kids who tell of their life-changing injuries at summer jobs in a series of powerful videos.
Most dangerous jobs for teens
Millions of teens will be looking to join the work force over the next few months, and with a teen unemployment rate hovering around 30%, there will be strong competition for positions – and some young workers may be tempted to take jobs that could endanger their health. The National Consumers League (NCL), which coordinates the Child Labor Coalition, has issued a report detailing 2010’s Five Worst Teen Jobs report to remind teens and parents to be alert and informed about the hidden dangers that many jobs hold.
2010’s Five Worst Teen Jobs
- Traveling Youth Sales Crews
- Construction and Height Work
- Outside Helper: Landscaping, Groundskeeping and Lawn Service
- Agriculture: Harvesting Crops
- Driver/Operator: Forklifts, Tractors, and ATV’s
The article offers information and details about the potential risks and hazards for each of these job categories, as well as common risks that teens face at work. It also offers suggestions for parents on how to be involved in their teens job choices, and what to look for.
More tools for parents
Here are some additional resources to help you keep your teens safe at work:
- Making sure your teen’s job is safe – great advice from the award-winning KidsHealth by Nemours, one of the largest nonprofit organizations devoted to children’s health. It includes a list of questions and discussion points to raise with your teen before he or she is hired, advice for checking out the job site, and how to sustain a discussion about work safety once your teen starts the job.
- Tips for parents with working teens (PDF) – a brief fact sheet with advice from the California Resource Network for Young Workers’ Health and Safety
- Working the Smart Shift: Helping parents help their teens avoid dangerous jobs – Safety guidelines from the Child Labor Coalition, along with a list of telephone numbers for state labor department resources.
- Do you have a working teen? – advice and resources for parents from the Occupational Health & Safety Administration
- State Labor Laws – The U.S. Department of Labor offers links to state Labor Departments and state resources
Other teen safety resources