Teenagers tell researchers about on-the-job dangers

CHICAGO -- The first national study to interview teenagers about on-the-job dangers found many violations of federal laws, including sizable numbers performing risky tasks or working too late on a school night.

Many teens said they operated hazardous equipment, received no safety training and worked alone after dark, making them potential targets for burglary and homicide.

"Teenagers are being put in the position of doing tasks that are either illegal or dangerous," said lead author Carol Runyan of the University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center. While enforcement of laws could be improved, she said, "the real burden lies with employers."

Teenagers soon will start applying for summer jobs and parents should talk to them about safety, Runyan said. Hundreds of thousands of U.S. teenagers are injured at work every year and 70 die from their injuries, according to federal statistics.

The new study found:

• 37 percent of teens under age 16 said they had worked after 7 p.m. on a school night, a violation of federal rules for that age group.
• 16 percent of teens under 16 reported they had worked past 9 p.m. on a school night.
• 47 percent of teens who work in grocery stores and restaurants said they had performed tasks prohibited by law for workers younger than 18. The illegal tasks included operating a box crusher, dough mixer or power slicing tool.
• One-third of all the teens said they had received no safety training on the job.
• 9 percent said they had worked alone after dark.

The new findings, appearing in the March issue of Pediatrics, are based on a 2003 telephone survey of 866 teenagers working in the retail and service industry. The teenagers had jobs in restaurants, grocery stores and retail stores. The same researchers found similar violations of work rules in a previous survey of North Carolina teens working in construction.

The results don't surprise Toronto resident Rob Ellis, whose son David died at age 18 after becoming entangled in a dough mixer at a bakery on his second day on the job. David, who died six days after the traumatic injury, never received his first paycheck.

"He's the one who inspired me to get up and try to make a difference," Ellis said. The 1999 accident could have been prevented by safety equipment, supervision and training, Ellis said. He has spoken to thousands of students about teen worker safety and often brings company presidents to the talks so they can hear from the children.

Nearly half the students in his audiences raise their hands when asked if they've been cut or burned on the job, but very few say they reported the injuries to their bosses, Ellis said.

Inexperience prevents teens from speaking up when asked to do something unsafe or illegal, Runyan said.

"They know if the manager doesn't like what they do, they can be fired and replaced by someone else," Runyan said. "In many cases, they're working for supervisors who may be only a few years older than they are and may not have received good training either."

The survey did not include non-English speaking households and 85 percent of the teens were white. More research should be done to include immigrant teen workers, Runyan said. Surveyors also were unlikely to reach many unlisted phone numbers because of the calling lists used.

The study, funded by a grant from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, suggests a need for stricter enforcement of existing laws, Runyan said.

One state taking action, Runyan said, is Massachusetts, where a law that took effect in January now requires employers to provide adult supervision to teen workers after 8 p.m. and gives the state's attorney general the ability to pursue civil sanctions against employers who break child labor laws. In the past, only criminal penalties were available and weren't frequently pursued.

The surveyed teens told researchers they worked an average of 16.2 hours a week during the school year, raising questions about fatigue and school performance, Runyan said.

Chicago resident Amanda Hebeler, who just turned 20, worked many jobs during her teenage years, including selling cell phones, cleaning tables and scooping ice cream. To earn gas money when she was in high school, she worked 20 to 25 hours a week, sometimes until 10:30 p.m.

"I'd have to clean the bar and lift heavy stuff," she said. "I was really tired at school."

But her work experience has taught her a lot, she said.

"I learned the customer is always right," she said, and "you cannot talk to a drunk customer no matter how hard you try."

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On the Net:

Pediatrics: http://www.aap.org/

Federal Network for Young Worker Safety and Health: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fedNET/

Occupational Safety and Health Administration Teen Worker Safety: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/teenworkers/index.html