The Teen Workers safety and health page is part of the agency's contribution to the Department of Labor's new initiative on young workers and is now OSHA's premier site for teen worker safety and health information.
"Every year, millions of teens work in part-time or summer jobs. Early work experiences can be rewarding for young workers providing great opportunitiesfor teens to learn important work skills. Today's youth will be the workforce ofthe 21st Century," said Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao. "Through the new YouthRules! initiative, the U.S. Department of Labor and its strategic partners seek to promote positive and safe work experiences for young workers."
She added the YouthRules! Web page and activities will educate teens, parents, educators, employers and the public on federal and state rules regarding young workers. The site offers educational resources such as fact sheets on workplace rights and responsibilities, hazards on the job, ways to prevent injuries, work hours, job restrictions, and more. It also links to states that have special web sites or initiatives designed for young workers.
"Every year, 70 teenagers die from work-related injuries and 77,000 more are injured seriously enough to require emergency medical treatment - and that's just not acceptable," said OSHA Administrator John Henshaw. "This site is one more way to provide our young workers with the knowledge they deserve so they can have safe and positive work experiences."
The new teen safety and health site can be accessed from the Department of Labor's www.youthrules.dol.gov/YouthRules! Web site, or through the OSHA Web site at www.osha.gov under "Youth" or "What's New".
OSHA is working on new ways to increase job safety and health awareness among teens and is preparing additional outreach and education materials designed to prevent young workers from being injured on the job.
