July 15, 1999 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Youths and on-the-job danger

Agriculture is one of the most dangerous industries for youths. Between 1992 and 1997, forty percent of fatal injuries to workers under 18 occurred on farms.

[Chart data—TXT]

Of the 403 youths fatally injured on the job, 162 were working in agriculture. Over half of youth deaths in agriculture were related to transportation.

Retail trade was the next most dangerous industry for youths in the 1992-97 period—87 fatality victims worked in retail trade. Homicide accounted for close to two-thirds of these fatalities.

These data are a product of the BLS Safety and Health Statistics Program. Additional information is available in "Research Summary: Fatal Injuries and Young Workers" (PDF 31K), Compensation and Working Conditions, Summer 1999.