| Introduction: |
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 your employer
knows these rights. Although most employers are familiar with labor laws
for adults, many are less knowledgeable about the labor laws for teenagers.
Because you have many years of employment ahead, it is important that you avoid
injuries that can affect you for the rest of your life. By becoming familiar
with your rights and responsibilities as an employee and how to protect
yourself from injuries, you can minimize your chance of missing time from
work, school, or other activities due to job related injuries. This
web site will provide you with the basics you need to know before you
start a job.
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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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