Effects of work permits on illegal employment among youth workers: findings of a school-based survey on child labor violations.

We compared self-reported child labor violations between teenagers with and without work permits. Data were obtained from a school-based survey of working teenagers in 16 randomly selected high schools in North Carolina. We examined associations between work hour violations, hazardous order violations (performance of illegal tasks), and possession of a work permit. Work permits appear to be protective against performance of illegal tasks but not against work hour violations, demonstrating the need for stricter enforcement policies and improvements in work permit screening processes.

Characteristics of teens with and without work permits.

BACKGROUND: Factors associated with the issuance of mandated work permits for teens, and their enforcement are currently unknown. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was administered to 1945 teens at 16 randomly selected North Carolina high schools. Predictor variables examined included teens' socio-demographic characteristics, employment patterns, and labor law knowledge. RESULTS: One thousand and ninety-four non-working and 844 working teens participated. Seventy-seven percent of working teens worked during the school year and 39% started working younger than 16. The majority (80%) worked in retail and services. Forty-four percent worked without work permits. Factors associated with being less likely to be issued a work permit included white race, employment in a family-owned business, being a laborer, and limited or no knowledge of child labor laws. CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to and enforcement of the work permit system is low. Interventions should specifically target teens who work in family owned businesses, in unskilled labor and in hazardous industries.

Attitudes and beliefs about adolescent work and workplace safety among parents of working adolescents.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to examine the attitudes and beliefs of the parents of working adolescents related to the safety of the employment of their children. METHODS: A cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted in 2003 among English-speaking parents of working adolescents aged 14-18 years in the continental United States. Questions addressed parental concerns about adolescents' employment and potential safety issues at work. RESULTS: Most parents expressed favorable attitudes about adolescent employment, although many expressed concerns about fatigue (48%), problems completing schoolwork (33%), or spending time with families (35%). Half of all parents indicated concerns about adolescents being present during a robbery, and 40-50% were concerned about adolescents working alone or not having adequate safety training. Parents were favorable to laws that regulate the teen work environment, although most (69%) also indicated that parents, not laws, should determine the work that teens do. CONCLUSIONS: Parents of working teens are favorable to their teens working, but they do have varied concerns about safety. Although many parents believe they should set the rules about teen work, they are also generally supportive of governmental regulation of hours and tasks. Helping parents understand child labor policies and consider evidence about work hazards may facilitate their ability to provide appropriate advice to their children.

Work-related hazards and workplace safety of US adolescents employed in the retail and service sectors.

OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to examine the hazard exposures, work experiences, and workplace safety training of adolescents employed in retail and service jobs in the United States. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional telephone survey among working adolescents, 14 to 18 years old, in the continental United States. Data were collected in 2003. Survey items measured self-reported hazard exposures, training, and supervision experiences of working adolescents. RESULTS: Teens reported working an average of 16.2 hours per week during the school year, including working an average of 2.9 times per week after 7 PM on school nights and 2.6 nights per week after 9 PM. Thirty-seven percent of those under age 16 reported working after 7 PM on a school night, indicating employer violation of federal law. Teens typically perform multiple kinds of tasks in a given job. Higher proportions of females than males are involved in cash handling (84% vs 61%), whereas males are more likely than females to be involved in physically challenging tasks, such as lifting heavy objects (57% vs 22%) or working at heights (35% vs 17%). Despite federal regulations prohibiting teens under 18 from using certain types of dangerous equipment (eg, slicers, dough mixers, box crushers, paper balers) or serving or selling alcohol in places where it is consumed, 52% of males and 43% of females reported having performed > or = 1 prohibited task. Although more males reported receiving safety training, they were also more likely to report working without supervision than their female counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Teens are exposed to multiple hazards, use dangerous equipment despite federal prohibitions, and work long hours during the school week. They also lack consistent training and adult supervision on the job. It is important for adolescent medicine practitioners to become involved in prevention efforts through both anticipatory guidance and policy advocacy.

Work hazards and workplace safety violations experienced by adolescent construction workers.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the working conditions of adolescents employed in construction in North Carolina, documenting hazards, safety practices, and prohibited activities. DESIGN: A cross-sectional telephone survey. SETTING: North Carolina. PARTICIPANTS: Adolescents (aged <18 years) with work permits for the construction industry in North Carolina during summer 2001. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Types of jobs, work tasks, supervisory conditions, tools, equipment, and processes. RESULTS: A total of 187 survey respondents were in this study. Adolescents were employed in varied construction settings and business types. Nineteen of the 187 permitted workers were younger than 16 years, despite prohibitions against their employment in construction unless working for their parents. The remainder (n = 168) were working legally based on age, but most performed prohibited tasks. In fact, 84% of all the 16- to 17-year-olds had performed at least 1 clearly prohibited task and 47% had performed 3 or more. Although most reported being supervised and working with others, approximately 19% of all respondents reported working where they were not in hearing distance of other workers. Data were collected from teenagers with work permits, suggesting that these adolescents may work for more responsible employers. If violations of child labor laws exist in this group, it is likely that adolescents without permits are exposed to even greater hazards and violations. CONCLUSION: Involvement of teenagers in dangerous and/or prohibited tasks is cause for concern and suggests a pressing need to examine the enforcement of existing laws and the need for additional protection.

Adequacy of health and safety training among young Latino construction workers.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the adequacy of safety training provided to young Latino immigrant construction workers. The study posited that, because of their youth and immigrant status, these workers would be less likely to receive adequate training. METHODS: We interviewed 50 youths aged < or =21 who had worked at least 10 days in construction in the previous year. The in-person interview included 140 questions covering a range of construction work and health and safety experiences. RESULTS: Participants reported performing a range of hazardous tasks, some while under the age of 18. Of these, 68% to 72% reported receiving some training, but median training time was only 1 hour. Only 24% reported receiving written training material. Those with less English ability received less training. CONCLUSIONS: Young Latino immigrants in this study received inadequate training given the hazardous work they performed. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Results of this research, especially the relatively low level of English communication skills among young Latino workers, point to the need for increased bilingual services not just in worker safety training programs, but also in medical clinics and emergency rooms that treat Latino workers.

Childhood unintentional injuries: factors predicting injury risk among preschoolers.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationships between maternal perceptions of risk, stress, social support, safety-proofing behaviors, supervision practices and unintentional injuries to children under 5 years old. METHODS: Household interviews were conducted with 159 mothers who had a preschool-age child. The secondary data were part of a population-based study that collected self-report data and home observational data. Diaries were used for collecting prospective injury data. RESULTS: White children whose mothers were unemployed and whose homes needed repair were reported to be at higher injury risk than other children. Predicting a higher injury risk were children's behavioral characteristics as well as their being older than 2.5 years. Maternal social support, stress, and coping variables were not related to injury risk. Maternal perceptions of risk variables interacted with maternal safety behavior variables when predicting injury risk. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood injuries are predicted by a set of interrelated sociodemographic, cognitive, behavioral, and child-related factors.