Contents

Introduction
Facts about Young Worker Safety and Health
Steps in Coordinating a Young Worker Project
Forming Partnerships with Schools
Developing Teen Peer Education Programs
Involving Parents
Linking with Job Training Programs
Including Healthcare Providers
Working With Employers
Reaching the Broader Community
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C

Working with Employers

Why employers are important partners

Employers bear direct responsibility for the safety of teen workers, and they are important partners in workplace safety and health initiatives. Employers of young people under the age of 18 have an obligation to comply with State and Federal child labor regulations regarding the tasks teens can perform and the hours they can work. Employers should also provide teen workers with supervision and training that is age-appropriate. Nonetheless, many employers express uncertainty about how to supervise and mentor young people effectively, and others are unclear about child labor laws. Educating employers and supervisors is a key component of enhancing workplace safety.

Reaching out to employers in your community

Enlisting employers in community projects can be challenging. Supervisors in many of the businesses that hire large numbers of teens have busy schedules and are often difficult to reach. Some employers feel that they already provide adequate supervision and training for their employees and do not need to provide more. Others would like to do a better job of mentoring the youths they supervise but do not know where to begin. However, local businesses have much to gain from young worker projects and can be committed partners. The following are strategies for engaging their participation.

Identify local businesses that employ large numbers of teens.

You can determine the major employers of teens in your area in a number of ways: look at work permits, talk to job placement coordinators in the school, survey teens, and meet with the Chamber of Commerce and Private Industry Council staff.

Mail multiple copies of fact sheets or brochures to employers.

Offer copies of materials written for supervisors of teen workers as well as brochures that can be distributed to teen workers. Include a letter explaining your project and offering to provide additional safety and health materials and training to supervisors and mentors.

Meet with employers to let them know how they can benefit.

Explain how their business can benefit from participating in young worker projects through increased compliance with child labor laws, possibly reduced workers' compensation rates, better morale among teen workers, better trained workers, and positive publicity. Offer to provide safety and health materials and training.

Restaurant workers and supervisors receive health and safety training

We got a small grant from the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents to provide safety workshops for restaurant workers and supervisors in Brockton. It took several meetings to get buy-in, but we eventually got the owners of the five largest restaurants to commit. Once they got involved, they were very receptive to our message.

The workshops, which trained 180 staff members, included hands-on exercises to help workers identify and prevent hazards and a discussion about child labor laws. It also offered a valuable opportunity for supervisors and workers to discuss safety issues. Restaurant work is so fast paced that employees don't often get time for training or to compare strategies and ideas. We found that participants appreciated the opportunity to sit down together to talk. During one workshop at a pizza restaurant, the owner agreed to rotate tasks as suggested by a teen employee as a way to reduce back strain.

—Robin Dewey

Contact businesses participating in school-to-career and vocational education placements.

Offer to assist them in educating students about safety and health issues.

Contact local business organizations.

The Chamber of Commerce, the Private Industry Council, and other business clubs may be interested in educational materials and brief presentations to their members about child labor laws and workplace safety and health issues.

Workplace supervisors of student interns attend a health and safety training

In Brockton, we conducted a 1-hour workshop for supervisors and mentors participating in the school-to-career program. The topics included the common causes of teen workplace injuries; the need to provide explicit, clear, and repeated safety instructions to teens; and the importance for students to balance learning all aspects of the job with learning safety precautions. The positive response to the workshop convinced State school-to-career staff to incorporate the curriculum into their State mentor training manual.

—Robin Dewey

Recognize business participation.

Most local business owners will view positive publicity as a valuable reward for participating in young worker projects. You can recognize business partners by issuing certificates of appreciation, reporting their involvement to the press and at media events, and highlighting participating businesses in project materials.

Oakland employers commit to safe jobs for youth

As part of Oakland's Safe Jobs for Youth Week organized by the project and the City Council, we invited Oakland employers to (1) commit to providing comprehensive health and safety training to young employees and (2) ensure that supervisors are trained on child labor law requirements. We mailed invitations to employers involved in job training programs and placed ads in local papers. Nearly 50 employers signed on. In return, the participating employers were acknowledged in newspaper ads, press materials, and by the Oakland City Council.

—Diane Bush

Provide referral information when necessary.

Community members may want to know what to do when employers do not comply with child labor laws or workplace safety regulations (see Appendix A).

Including Healthcare Providers

Reaching the Broader Community