EHS Today
  • Magazine Subscription
  • ENewsletters
  • EHS Education
  • Safety Leadership Conference
  • America's Safest Companies
    • Search
  • EHS Today Intelligence
  • Safety
  • Health
  • Environment
  • Standards
  • Safety Technology
  • Training & Engagement
  • Leadership
  • Topics
    EHS IntelligenceEnvironmentHealthSafetyLeadershipStandardsConstructionPPESafety TechnologyTraining & EngagementEmergency ManagementCOVID-19 CrisisIndustrial Hygiene
    Resources
    Member BenefitsSafety Leadership ConferenceEHS EducationAmerica's Safest Companies AwardsWebinarsWhite PapersWorkplace Safety AcademyMagazine SubscriptioneNewsletter SubscriptionLatest HeadlinesContact UsAdvertisePress ReleasesPrivacy & Cookie PolicyTerms of Service
    https://www.facebook.com/pages/EHS-Today/66542218626?ref=ts
    https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4355311
    https://twitter.com/EHSToday
    1. Archive

    California Governor Proclaims May

    April 26, 2002
    Thousands of young workers under the age of 18 will have jobs this summer in California, and Gov. Gray Davis wants to use the month of May to focus attention on preventing workplace injuries.
    EHS Today Staff

    Thousands of young workers - ages 14 to 18 - will have jobs this summer in California. To protect those young workers, Gov. Gray Davis proclaimed May "Safe Jobs for Youth Month" to focus attention on preventing workplace injuries.

    "Jobs are a great way for young people to gain valuable experience and income. But young workers need to be informed to stay safe on the job," says Stephen J. Smith, director of the California Department of Industrial Relations. "California's labor laws and safety and health laws protect young workers and we want to remind employers, parents and young workers what the laws are," Smith adds.

    Every year, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, an estimated 200,000 young workers are injured on the job. An estimated 70,000 are injured seriously enough to go to the emergency room.

    Studies suggest that youth job injury rates are higher than those of adults, despite the fact that youths are prohibited from working in the most hazardous occupations.

    "I was an assistant at an auto body repair shop when I was 15. I didn't receive the minimum wage, I was exposed to hazardous chemicals, and I was overworked," says Juan Garcia, now a college student. "If I knew what my rights were then, I would have talked to my employer."

    Juan attended an after-school program at UCLA Labor Occupational Safety and Health and learned about safety on the job and worker rights. He became an advocate, teaching classes on health and safety as an intern and he is now attending college full-time.

    "Young workers should enter the workforce knowing they'll get health and safety training, and ask for it if they don't," insists Diane Bush of UC Berkeley's Labor Occupational Health Program, a coordinator of Safe Jobs for Youth Month. "This is a chance to help young workers develop safety skills that will last them a lifetime. They should be learning to take responsibility for problems they see and know it's okay to tell their boss."

    Potential hazards facing young workers are:

    • Late hours - increase the risks and vulnerability to crime.
    • Long hours - create potential hazards when working alone and when experiencing frequent contact with the public.
    • Working around unsafe or broken equipment.
    • Cooking with hot oil and on hot cooking surfaces.
    • Using powered equipment such as box crushers, bakery machines and forklifts.

    Information about Safe Jobs for Youth month is available at www.youngworkers.org for young workers, parents, employers and educators.

    This public information campaign in California is a collaborative effort by the California Partnership on Young Workers' Health and Safety, California Teachers Association, California Department of Industrial Relations, Labor Occupational Health Program at the UC Berkeley, California Chamber of Commerce, California Department of Education, United Food and Commercial Workers, Labor Occupational Safety and Health at UCLA and the PTA.

    edited by Sandy Smith ([email protected])

    Continue Reading

    Benefits and Challenges of Exoskeleton Use in Construction

    5 Benefits of Connected Worker Technology for Enhanced Plant Safety

    Sponsored Recommendations

    Is Your Safety Program Effective? 10 Questions Every Safety Leader Should Ask

    Nov. 7, 2023

    Purposeful Presence: How Leaders Show Up to Amp Up Performance

    Nov. 7, 2023

    The Truth and Challenges of Cultivating Chronic Unease

    Nov. 7, 2023

    Autopsy of an Injury Uncovering 18 Million Exposures in One Activity

    Nov. 7, 2023

    Voice your opinion!

    To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of EHS Today, create an account today!

    I already have an account

    New

    Humanizing Safety: The 7 Traits that Define Successful Safety Professionals

    Well-Being Trends to Watch in 2024

    Suicide Rates Hit Highest Level Ever in 2022

    Most Read

    So You Think You Know a Lot about OSHA? (Quiz)

    Women More Likely to Get Hurt on the Job

    Ohio Train Derailment: What Went Wrong?


    Sponsored

    Interstate Batteries powers its EHS initiatives with Ideagen EHS

    5 Tactics to Build Stronger Employee Engagement for a Safer Workplace

    The Truth and Challenges of Cultivating Chronic Unease

    EHS Today
    https://www.facebook.com/pages/EHS-Today/66542218626?ref=ts
    https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4355311
    https://twitter.com/EHSToday
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Do Not Sell or Share
    • Privacy & Cookie Policy
    • Terms of Service
    © 2023 Endeavor Business Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
    Endeavor Business Media Logo