Annual Job-Related Injuries Send Nearly 60,000 Teenage Workers to Emergency Rooms
Approximately 1.6 million teenagers in the United States have jobs, and on average, every nine minutes, a teen worker is injured on the job. Furthermore, each year, approximately 59,800 workers under 18 years of age are sent to the emergency room for job-related injuries, while an average of 37 workers under 18 years old die on the job annually. To prevent these injuries, parents can help teenagers assert their rights to a safe work environment by encouraging them to ask questions if they feel their health or safety is at risk.
The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIAH) has partnered with The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to create Safety Matters, a free, one-hour program for students in grades 7 through 12. The interactive teaching module will educate participants on safety procedures, how to identify potential dangerous situations on the job, and how to better communicate with co-workers.
Paid days off aren't guaranteed for many Americans, and even when they are, most workers aren’t using all their PTO.