Printer-Friendly Version

Archived News Release--Caution: information may be out of date.

Office of Public Affairs

OPA Press Release: Labor Secretary Urges Teens To "Work Safe This Summer" Teen Safety Toll-Free Number, Teen Workers' Bill of Rights New to Initiative [06/13/1997]

For more information call: 202/219-8211

Bobby Cantley lost his right arm at age 15 while working in a meat processing plant. The tragedy began when he slipped on the plant's greasy floor, forcing his arm into a meat grinder, taking his entire hand and forearm. His hope of someday working as an automobile mechanic or a firefighter sometimes seem unattainable.

Cantley and U.S. Labor Secretary Alexis M. Herman plan to teach American teens, parents and employers the importance of a safe work environment for teenagers through "Work Safe This Summer," the Department of Labor's teen worker safety initiative announced today. The initiative, now in its second year, is unveiled annually as the school year ends and teens begin to seek summer jobs. During the summer, the teen workforce grows from about 2 million to more than 3 million. Cantley's story represents the types of on-the-job injuries suffered by 210,000 teenagers each year. One third of those injured sustain wounds serious enough to require emergency room treatment. And 70 teens are killed each year in work-related accidents.

"As school lets out and many teens begin their summer jobs, Work Safe This Summer' helps teach us all about the need for teen safety in the workplace," said Herman. "My hope is this initiative will serve to lower these tragic statistics, heighten awareness on teen workplace safety issues and help create a safer workplace so that teens have a more positive work experience."

"Work Safe This Summer," with this year's theme "Learn a Lesson for a Lifetime," informs teens, parents and employers of the fundamental rights, restrictions and responsibilities they have to ensure the safest work environment possible.

The campaign includes the Teen Workers' Bill of Rights, an outline of the basic rights teen workers have. This and other information is available through the department's Teen Safety Hotline at 1/800/959-3652. Color copies of the Bill of Rights and other material may be downloaded from the department's web site at http://www.dol.gov/dol/teensafety.htm.

 "Teens getting jobs this summer could easily get hurt," said Cantley, the campaign's teen spokesman. "I urge all teens to check for safety before they're hired and every day on the job."

The campaign also includes the "Work Safe This Summer Employer's Guide," a reference manual for the employment of teen workers. The pamphlet is available through the web site and can be heard on the Teen Safety Hotline. The guide lists 17 hazardous jobs young workers are prohibited from performing, Labor Department phone numbers, and suggestions in training new workers.

"Work Safe This Summer" partners include the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the National Consumers' League (NCL), and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

"The campaign's partners have played an important role in providing the department's Wage & Hour Division with information it uses in daily enforcement and educational activities," said Herman. "Throughout the summer, our partners will continue to be a critical component of the initiative, especially by getting the message out to teens, parents and employers."

The NCL has released the "Five Worst Teen Jobs--What Teens and Parents Should Know" and a "Parents' Primer: When Your Teen Works." The five worst jobs for teens, as listed by the NCL, are delivery and other driving; working alone in cash-based businesses; traveling with youth crews (selling candy, magazine subscriptions, and other consumer goods on street corners, in strange neighborhoods, distant cities, and across state lines); jobs where employers pay "under the table" wages; and construction, particularly working in high places and any job involving electrical power.

NIOSH has published a teen safety alert, "Preventing Deaths and Injuries of Adolescent Workers," a fact sheet containing information about jobs particularly hazardous to teen workers, and has made the advisory available to every high school in the country.

In addition, Kmart stores will distribute 37.4 million shopping bags at more than 2,100 stores nationally with the "Work Safe This Summer" logo, web site and toll-free number. The stores will also post "Work Safe This Summer" posters at their exits.

The Labor Department's Wage & Hour Division was created in 1938 with the enactment of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The law's provisions include child labor regulations, and the agency is charged with enforcing them. Wage & Hour has regional and district offices throughout the country to help American workers and employers comply with the laws.

Archived News Release--Caution: information may be out of date.