A Safety & Health Curriculum

For Young Workers

New York Edition

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Lesson 1
Introduction to Young Worker Injuries

2
You Will Learn About

 Ways young workers can be hurt on the job.

 Ways to predict and prevent workplace injuries.
 Common health and safety hazards on the job.
 Ways to reduce or control workplace hazards.
 Emergencies in the workplace and how to respond.
 What to do if you see something at work that could
hurt you or make you sick.
 What legal rights and responsibilities young people
have at work.

3
What is Your Experience With Work?

 How many of you have had a job?

 Where did you work?
 What did you do?
 Have you ever been hurt at work? Do you know
someone who was hurt at work?
 Has any task at work made you uncomfortable?
 Have you had any health and safety training
at work?

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Job Safety Quiz

 The law says your employer must give you a

safe and healthy place to work.
True False
 The law limits how late you can work on a school night
if you are under 16.
True False
 If you are 16 years old, you can drive a car on public
streets as part of your job.

True False
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Job Safety Quiz (continued)

 If you are injured on the job, your employer must pay for
your medical care.
True False
 How often do teens get injured on the job in the United
States?
One every day One every hour
One every 9 minutes

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Why Are Young Workers
More Likely to be Hurt on the Job?

Video and Discussion

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 Examples of Teen Work Injuries

Jack’s Story
The Impact of Work Injuries

Job: Fast food worker

Hazard: Greasy, slippery floors

Injury: Injured tailbone

 Why did this happen?

 What could have kept Jack from being
hurt?
 How could this injury change Jack’s
life?

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 Teen Work Injuries

Antonio’s Story
The Impact of Work Injuries

Job: Construction helper

Hazard: Unguarded chimney hole

(on an unfinished roof)

Injury: Broken back

 Why did this happen?

 What could have kept Antonio
from being hurt?
 How could this injury change Antonio’s
life?

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 Teen Work Injuries

Angela’s Story
The Impact of Work Injuries

Job: Office worker

Hazard: Too much typing

in an awkward position

Injury: Repetitive stress injury

 Why did this happen?

 What could have kept Angela
from being hurt?
 How could this injury change
Angela’s life?

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 Teen Work Injuries

Terrell’s Story
The Impact of Work Injuries

Job: Landscape worker

Hazard: Wood chipper

Injury: Death

 Why did this happen?

 What could have kept Terrell
from being killed?

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 Teen Work Injuries

Cody’s Story
The Impact of Work Injuries

Job: Farm worker

Hazard: Tractor without roll bar

Injury: Legs crushed under tractor

 Why did this happen?

 What could have kept Cody
from being hurt?
 How could this injury change
Cody’s life?

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 Teen Work Injuries

Lindsey’s Story
The Impact of Work Injuries

Job: Pizza shop cashier

Hazard: Violence (by a co-worker)

Injury: Bumps and bruises caused

by abusive co-worker

 What could Lindsey’s employer have

done to stop her abuser?
 What would you do if this happened?
 How could this change Lindsey’s life?

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 Teen Work Injuries

Anna’s Story
The Impact of Work Injuries

Job: Smoothie shop worker

Hazard: Sexual harassment

Injury: Emotional trauma

 What could Anna's employer have done

to stop her harasser?
 What would you do if this happened
to you?
 How could this change Anna’s life?

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 Teen Work Injuries

Logan’s Story
The Impact of Work Injuries

Job: Farm worker

Hazard: Unguarded, rotating bar on a

tractor

Injury: Severed arm, broken neck

 Why did this happen?

 What could have kept Logan
from being hurt?
 How could this injury change
Logan’s life?

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Teen Worker Injury Statistics
 About 1.6 million U.S. teens (ages 15–17) work. About half
of 10th graders work, and three out of four of 12th graders
have jobs.
 Many youths are hurt on the job.
 On average, each year
• Nearly 60,000 workers younger than 18 go to the ER after
being hurt on the job. The number of teens hurt on the job
is much higher than that.
• 37 workers younger than 18 die on the job.
• Young workers have twice the chance of being hurt than
adult workers.

NIOSH 2010 www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/youth/chartpackage.html

www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5915a2.htm 16
Teen Worker Statistics
50%
45% 44%

40% Where Teens Work:

35%
% of total workers, aged 15–17, per industry
30%
24%
25%
20%
15%
10% 8%
7%
6%
5% 4%
5% 2% 1%
0%
Leisure and Retail trade Educational Other services Professional Agriculture, Manufacturing Finance and Other
hospitality* and health and business forestry, fishing insurance
services services and hunting

*Includes restaurants
Based on national data, and may vary by state. Working teens under age 14 not represented.
Source: NIOSH / CDC 2009 (www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/youth/chartpackage.html)

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Teen Worker Injury Statistics
50%
45%
40%
Where Teens
Are Hurt on the Job:
38%

35%
% of total workers, aged 15–17, per industry
30%
25%
21%
20%
15%
11%
10%
10% 9%

5% 3% 4%
2% 2%
0%
Leisure and Retail trade Professional Educational Other services Finance and Agriculture, Manufacturing Other
hospitality* and business and health insurance forestry, fishing
services services and hunting

*Includes restaurants.
These data are for injuries that require at least one day away from work. They do not include youth who work on small farms, work for
government agencies, or are self-employed.
Source: NIOSH / CDC 2009 (www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/youth/chartpackage.html)
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Key Points

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

 Recognize job hazards and reduce them.
 Know the laws that protect teens from working too late or too long.
 Know the laws that protect teens from doing dangerous work.
 Know the laws that protect working teens from discrimination
and harassment.
 Decide how to solve health and safety problems at work.
 Name some of the agencies that enforce health and safety laws and
child labor laws.
 Decide what to do in an emergency.

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Lesson 2 (and 2B)
Finding Hazards

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Job Hazards

A job hazard is anything at work that can hurt you

either physically or mentally.
 Safety hazards can hurt you.
• Knives, hot grease.
 Chemical hazards are gases, vapors, liquids, or dusts
that can harm your body.
• Cleaning products, pesticides.

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Job Hazards (continued)

 Biological hazards are living things that can cause

sickness or disease, such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis,
tuberculosis.
• Bacteria, viruses.
 Other health hazards are other harmful things that can
injure you or make you sick. Some are not easy to see
because they may not make you sick right away.
• Noise, radiation, repetitive movements, heat, cold,
stress, violence.

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 Find the Hazards:
Illustrated Workplaces Fast Food Restaurant

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 Find the Hazards:
Illustrated Workplaces Grocery Store

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 Find the Hazards:
Illustrated Workplaces Office

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 Find the Hazards:
Illustrated Workplaces Gas Station

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Hazard Mapping Activity

aa

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Finding Hazards: Key Points

 Every job has health and safety hazards.

 You should always be aware of these hazards.
 Find out about chemicals at work by checking labels,
reading SDSs (Safety Data Sheets),
getting training, and asking questions.

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Lesson 3 (and 3B)
Making the Job Safer

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Controlling Hazards

Remove
the Hazard
$2000
(for example, use safer
chemicals, use a machine guard)

Improve a Work
Policies and Procedures
$1000
(for example, conduct training,
assign enough people to do the job)

Wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

$500
(for example, wear gloves, use a respirator)

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 Eliminating or Reducing Hazards

Jasmine’s Story
$25,000 Safety Pyramid Game

Job: Hospital dishwasher

Hazard: Chemical dishwashing solution

Injury: Chemical burn to the eye

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 Eliminating or Reducing Hazards

Will’s Story
$25,000 Safety Pyramid Game

Job: Fast food worker

Hazard: Hot grill

Injury: Burned hand

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 Eliminating or Reducing Hazards

Andre’s Story
$25,000 Safety Pyramid Game

Job: Grocery store clerk

Hazard: Lifting heavy boxes

Injury: Back strain

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 Eliminating or Reducing Hazards

Molly’s Story
$25,000 Safety Pyramid Game

Job: Grocery store deli clerk

Hazard: Meat slicer

Injury: Cut finger

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 Eliminating or Reducing Hazards

Chris’s Story
$25,000 Safety Pyramid Game

Job: City public works employee

Hazard: Working when it’s too hot

Injury: Heat stroke

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 Eliminating or Reducing Hazards

James’s Story
$25,000 Safety Pyramid Game

Job: Pizza shop employee

Hazard: Doing the same thing over and

over

Injury: Hand, back injury

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 Eliminating or Reducing Hazards

Maria’s Story
$25,000 Safety Pyramid Game

Job: Farm worker

Hazard: Pesticides/chemicals

Injury: Illness due to poisoning

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 Eliminating or Reducing Hazards

Jada’s Story
$25,000 Safety Pyramid Game

Job: Nursing aide

Hazard: Heavy lifting

Injury: Back, neck, and shoulder pain

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 Eliminating or Reducing Hazards

Anita’s Story
$25,000 Safety Pyramid Game

Job: Barista

Hazard: Hot liquids

Injury: Burn

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Making the Job Safer: Key Points

 OSHA says that employers must give workers a safe

workplace.
 It’s best to get rid of a hazard, if possible.
 If your employer can’t get rid of the hazard, there are
usually many ways to protect you from it.

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Lesson 4 (and 4B)
Emergencies at Work

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Emergencies at Work

What is an emergency at work?

• An emergency is any unplanned event that poses a
threat.
• An emergency can threaten employees, customers, or
the public.
• It might shut down work at a business.
• It might cause damage, or it could harm
the environment.

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Emergencies at Work

Disaster Blaster! Game

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Emergencies at Work: Key Points
Many workplaces need an emergency action plan. Workers
should be trained on the plan.
 The plan should include information about:
• The kinds of emergencies and how to respond.
• Places to meet during an emergency.
• The best ways to get out of a building or move away from danger.
• Emergency equipment and alert systems.
• Key people who will be in charge.
• What to do if someone is hurt.
• What each worker should do.
• Practice drills.

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Lesson 5 (and 5B)
Know Your Rights and Responsibilities

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Know Your Rights: Quiz Game

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Know Your Rights: Key Points
Federal and state labor laws protect teens from:
 Hazardous jobs.
 Working too long, too late, or too early.

OSHA says every employer must give workers:

 A safe workplace.
 Safety training on certain hazards (when required).
 Safety equipment (when required).

By law, your employer is not allowed to punish or fire you for

reporting a safety problem at work!

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Know Your Rights

State Labor Law Bingo Game

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Lesson 6 (and 6B)
Taking Action

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Taking Action: Key Points

Steps in Problem Solving:

 Define the problem.
 Get advice.
 Choose your goals.
 Know your rights.
 Decide the best way to talk to the supervisor.
 Contact a state or federal Wage & Hour Division or OSHA for
help, if necessary.
 Talk to a teacher, parent, co-worker, or other trusted adult.

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Summing Up

Know:
 Your rights at work.
 Your responsibilities at work.
 Your employer’s responsibilities at work.
 How to respond to problems at work.

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