| Introduction: |
Work is a valuable learning experience for most teenagers. It gives them an opportunity to earn money while they develop and learn new skills. Unfortunately work can be a negative experience when their job puts them at risk.
Unfortunately most teens start working at a job without knowing about the laws that protect them or how to stay safe on the job. Don't assume that teenagers or their employer knows these rights. While most employers are familiar with labor laws for adults, many are less knowledgeable about labor laws for teenagers.
As a parent or guardian you play an important role in making sure that your teenager's work life and school life remain in balance. Because they have many years of employment ahead of them, it is important that they learn how to avoid injuries that can affect them for the rest of their lives.
By familiarizing yourself with the child labor regulations, you can help protect teens and give them needed guidance when they face issues in the workplace
This web site will provide you with some basic information on health and safety and child labor laws as they apply to teenagers in Washington. It also contains links to other resources that may be of interest to you. If you cannot locate the information you are looking for please send us an e-mail and we will be happy to help you.
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| Where Working Teens Get Hurt: |
Nearly 200,000 teens in the U.S. are injured on the job every year.
In Washington state, every year approximately 3000 teens file injury or illness
claims due to injuries they have received on the job. Injury rates for
teenagers are two to three times higher than they are for working adults.
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| Some Washington State Statistics: |
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Where do Teen Workers Get Hurt?
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NOTE: Mary Miller (Labor & Industries) and Dr. Joel Kaufman
(Dept. of Environmental Health) studied accepted injury claims filed
by teens in Washington State from 1988 through 1991.
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Over a period of 4 years (1988-91), 17,800 work related teen injuries were
reported in Washington State. Of those injuries, 3 were work related fatalities
(2 in agriculture, 1 in construction). 62% of the injuries happened to
males, 38% happened to females.
Most frequent types of injuries:
Cuts and Lacerations 41%
Sprains 19%
Bruises 14%
Burns 11%
Other 15%
Serious injuries:
Of the 17,800 teen injures reported
22 were amputations
66 were dislocations
102 were concussions
464 were broken bones
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