California task force for young worker health and safety
Background
Every year about 70 adolescents die from work injuries in the United States and approximately 70,000 are injured severely enough to require treatment in hospital emergency rooms. Most of these injuries are preventable.
Description
To address this issue in California, the Commission convened a statewide Task Force on Young Workers' Heath and Safety. The Task Force brings together key representatives from government agencies and statewide organizations that are involved with California youth employment and education issues.
The purpose of the Task Force is to identify potential strategies to:
- Reduce work-related injuries and illnesses among youth in the California workforce
- Foster awareness and skills in safety and health that will remain with youths throughout their working lives, and allow them to take an active role in shaping safe work environments
- Promote positive, health employment for youth
The Task Force issued a report in March 1998 entitled "Protecting and Educating California's Young Workers" containing recommendations for school-based strategies, strengthening the role of work permits, workplace initiatives, strategies for enforcement agencies, and raising public awareness.
In its continuing effort to improve education and protections for young workers, the Commission contracted with the Labor Occupational Health Program to explore three areas recommended by the Task Force:
- California Resource Center on Young Worker Health and Safety - A Resource Center to collect and provide information and material
- Public Awareness Campaign - A campaign to focus attention on young workers' rights, protections and responsibilities
- Series of Joint Meetings of Enforcement Agencies - Convene and facilitate a series of two to four meetings for various enforcement agencies that protect young workers to explore the strategies developed by the Youth Work Group.
During the past year, the Task Force has continued to meet quarterly to develop and begin working on implementation plans in four key areas, selected from the recommendations in the report released by the Task Force in 1998.
The task force has accomplished the following:
Developed a resource list of task force members, listing all activities related to educating and/or protecting young workers.
Identified ways for agencies to work together in order to more effectively educate and/or protect young workers.
Produced and released a report and recommendations of new strategies for protecting young workers in California.
Tested several of the strategies recommended in the report, including successful "Safe Jobs for Youth Months," which entailed a governor's proclamation in 1999 and 2000 and a broad array of public awareness and education activities.
Researched models for establishing a statewide resource center on young workers' health and safety to get resources and technical support to educators, job trainers, employers, parents and youth throughout the state.
Interviewed agency leaders in the Department of Education, Department of Industrial Relations, Department of Health Services and others to explore options for an inter agency task force to protect young workers and made plans for an initial formal briefing of agency heads.
Developed proposals for strengthening the current work permit system.
Made presentations at several prominent national meetings highlighting the cutting edge approaches to protecting Young Workers being taken in California.
Status: Ongoing
Further information
Educational Material: Factsheets for Young Workers
Check out www.youngworkers.org for the California Young Worker Resource Network, providing information for teens, teen workers in agriculture, employers, parents, and educators.