Massachusetts Report Calls for Improved Occupational Safety for Young Workers

(January, 2003) Too many teenagers are getting hurt on the job, and more stringent safety efforts are needed to protect them, according to a report released by a Massachusetts task force on occupational safety for young workers.

Protecting Young Workers in Massachusetts, released January 23, 2003 by the Massachusetts Task Force on Young Worker Health and Safety, is believed to be the first in Massachusetts to offer a comprehensive set of solutions to prevent and reduce teen worker injuries.

“When we think about risks for teens, we generally think about their risks on the road, on the sports field, or in the streets. We rarely think about their part-time, after-school, or summer jobs as a source of concern—but we need to think again,” said David Wegman, MD, professor at the Department of Work Environment at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell and co-chair of the task force.

Teens are most frequently injured while working in restaurants, grocery and other stores, and health care facilities. According to task force members, young people are particularly at risk because they are asked to perform tasks for which they lack the size, strength, or experience. They are often unfamiliar with workplace hazards, ways to avoid injuries, and their rights as workers.

Thorough training and supervision is even more important for young workers than adults. Yet, surveys of youth indicate that 50 percent of working teens in Massachusetts do not receive training about how to do their jobs safely.

“The tragedy is that most of these injuries are preventable,” said Wegman at a Massachusetts State House press conference releasing the report. “Training teens about workplace health and safety and their rights and responsibilities on the job is crucial, not only to protect them now, but to provide skills that can be carried into their adult lives as workers and employers of the future.”

Sue Gallagher, senior scientist for Health and Human Development Programs at EDC, co-chaired the initiative. "Efforts to protect young workers in Massachusetts are largely inadequate, and fragmented," said Gallagher. "This report is a first step in addressing the problem. It provides specific, concrete recommendations for employers, schools, and government agencies, and provides a blueprint to help these different groups coordinate their efforts."

The report’s key recommendations include the following:

• Establish a non-governmental Center for Young Worker Safety, devoted to education and advocacy
• Modify and enhance the work permit process so it serves to better protect teens
• Update the Child Labor Laws and support enhanced enforcement of existing laws
• Establish an interagency working group to better coordinate and strengthen government efforts
• Educate employers, teens, parents, and school personnel about key workplace hazards and steps they can take to ensure teen worker safety

The Task Force is co-chaired by Wegman; Susan Gallagher, senior scientist, Health and Human Development Programs, Education Development Center, Inc.; and Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, Executive Director, Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH). The Task Force also includes parents, youth, and business, community, labor, and public health representatives.