Effect of Safety Training and Knowledge of Child Labor Laws on Reported Injuries Among Working Youth: Results of School

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Effect of Safety Training and Knowledge of Child Labor Laws on Reported Injuries Among Working Youth: Results of School Based Surveys Janet Dal Santo1, Mike Bowling2 Duke University1, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill1, Introduction Selected Characteristics of Working Teens Unadjusted Associations between Type of Work and Safety Training among Working Teens Weighted Frequencies and (%) of Injured Teens Reporting Safety Training in Industries where Injuries Occurred • About 80% of adolescents work during high school • years • Young workers are at increased risk of injury • than adult workers with an estimated 400 young • workers injured on the job every day •  Injuries have a negative impact on the physical, • mental and psychological development of youth • workers as well as on their educational attainment • Studies on the effect of safety training, knowledge of • child labor laws and injuries among youth workers • are limited • Child labor laws are designed to protect young • workers from working in hazardous occupations • and from working long hours that can have adverse • effects on their health and safety and on their • educational achievement • There is limited information on the adequacy and • effectiveness of existing workplace safety training • programs in preventing injuries among youth workers • in the industries where they are likely to work Discussion Injured Teens Safety Training, Knowledge of Child Labor Laws, and Duration of Employment Conclusions • Results suggest that the training teens received was not • associated with reported injuries. • Teens’ knowledge of restriction on hours of work was • associated with reported injuries but knowledge of • restrictions on kinds of work and how late teens can • work were not associated with reported injuries • Teens who work in the construction industry or in • landscaping/mowing companies are more likely to get • injured than teens who work in other occupations • Teens who work in the food industry and in recreational • facilities are more likely to get trained than teens • working in other occupations • At least half of teens with reported injuries had • receiving some kind of safety training when working in • food industry, construction, landscaping/mowing, and • recreational facilities Unadjusted Associations betweenType of Work and Injuries among Working Teens • The lack of any type of safety training by at least half • of teens who reported serious injuries merits further • investigation • It appears that the safety training teens receive in • industries where the majority of injuries occur is • ineffective in preventing injuries suggesting the need • to tailor injury prevention programs to the • developmental needs of teens and to the tasks they • perform • Results support previous findings on the lack of use • of protective equipment by injured teens in this • sample suggesting the need for more adequate • supervision and better training on the use of personal • protective devices • Findings suggest the need for injury prevention • programs to specifically target industries where the • majority of teen injuries occur; construction sites, • food industry, landscaping and mowing companies, • and recreational facilities Objectives • Examine associations between safety training, • knowledge of child labor laws and reported injuries • among teens • Investigate safety training in industries where the • majority of teen injuries occurred • Implications for youth safety interventions to address • gaps in education and training and for targeting • interventions at industries where injuries are more • likely to occur and where safety training is lacking Weighted Number and (%) of Students with Reported Injuries by Safety Training and Knowledge of Child Labor Laws Methods Limitations • School-based surveys • Conducted in 32 randomly selected high schools in • North Carolina and South Carolina (October–December • 2005) • Teens who had worked in any paid job (referent job) • outside the home during the two years prior to the • survey completed the entire questionnaire • Excludes: domestic and agricultural employment • Anonymous 15–20 minute questionnaire • Non-working students completed sociodemographic • section only • Did not verify veracity of self report by working teens • which may have resulted in recall bias • Surveys did not employ state-wide random sampling • procedures which may limit external validity of the • study (generalizability) • Teens who worked in domestic employment or in • agriculture were excluded from the study • School-based survey so high school drop-outs were • not represented Associations between Safety Training, Knowledge of Child Labor Laws, and Injuries among Working Teens Acknowledgement Funding: R01 OH03530-02 from The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health • The National Institute of Drug Abuse P30DA023026 Christian Douglas provided assistance in data analysis Lynn Tuttle provided assistance in formatting, design, and editing Survey Response • Using CASRO definition response rate is 73.8– • 86.6% for North Carolina survey and 82.2–91.1% • for South Carolina • A total of 1655 working teens completed the whole • questionnaire • A total of 2089 non-working students completed • socio-demographic section only