August 4, 1999 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)
Nonfatal injuries to young workers
In 1996, just over 15,000 youths
under the age of 18 incurred injuries on the job that resulted in lost workdays. Sprains
and strains accounted for about a third of these injuries.
[Chart data—TXT]
After sprains and strains, the most common types of
injuries were bruises and contusions, and cuts and lacerations. Compared to adult
workers’ injuries, those of young workers were more likely to result from contacts
with objects and equipment, falls, and contacts with hot objects or substances. Adult
workers were more likely to incur injuries due to overexertion and repetitive motion.
These data are a product of the BLS Safety and Health Statistics
Program. Additional information is available from "Profile of work injuries incurred by young
workers," by Janice Windau, Eric Sygnatur, and Guy Toscano, Monthly Labor
Review, June 1999. Note that these injury data are for private nonagricultural wage
and salary workers only.
Of interest
Spotlight on Statistics: National Hispanic Heritage Month
In this Spotlight, we take a look at the Hispanic labor force—including labor force participation, employment and unemployment, educational attainment, geographic location, country of birth, earnings, consumer expenditures, time use, workplace injuries, and employment projections.
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Read more »