Safety and summer workers Published May 4, 2010 By Rod Krause 5th Bomb Wing Ground Safety MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once wrote, "Youth comes but once in a lifetime." So perhaps while managers and supervisors are getting ready for summer-hire workers to grace their offices, they might take a moment to think of just how valuable, impressionable and fragile these youth really are. While contemplating the hiring of numerous of these inexperienced or untrained workers, safety experts around the base are advised to take another look at teaching their teen workers in order to safeguard their health and productivity. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), approximately 70 teens under the age of 18 die of work related injuries each year. More than 200,000 are injured on the job, many requiring emergency medical treatment. These statistics have raised a red flag for base safety personnel. While OSHA is spearheading efforts to improve nationwide safety for working minors, our home team is examining where our efforts could best be focused. Just by looking at the numbers above, supervisors need to spend more time and do a better job of training the summer hires. It seems many teens do not receive health and safety training on the job. They are simply pointed to a desk or work area. The assumption is they receive training from observation or osmosis. Everyone needs to understand the child labor laws and gain a better understanding of how they affect safety. Because these laws can be overwhelming to understand, many co-workers and supervisors put their summer hires at risk. They further place their introduction into the work force in peril by not giving them a need for safety applications. Here are some of the statistics presented by NIOSH. Although child labor law prohibits employing youths 16 and under in cooking and baking jobs, one third of the injured were identified as cooks. In another study, while older teens are prohibited from working on hazardous occupations and on motor vehicles, teen motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death. Work is beneficial. Introducing teens into the workplace teaches them a work ethic and useful skills, but it must be done without sacrificing health or safety. These helpful hints listed below can help keep summer hires safe. · Comply with child labor laws and safety regulations · Assess and eliminate hazards · Evaluate equipment to be used · Supervise teen workers · Train them to recognize hazards and use safe work practices, and fastidiously, faithfully evaluate their compliance · Seek employees' assistance to develop an injury/illness prevention program · Teach work-study skills in a comprehensive training class · When possible, pair up experienced, mature workers with younger workers. Teenagers may require more safety training than older employees · Stress the hazards of cordless and battery operated tools · Make personnel aware of the hazard umbrella around the point of operation of electrical tools More companies and units are developing better safety orientations. However, training must be ongoing. Not watching a one-time video or reading a manual. The summer hire must become familiar with their workplace. They must understand employee safety and how to identify and deal with safety hazards. They must have personal involvement; somebody to go over safety issues with them. Most are still in, or just out of high school and are eager to learn. But remember, teens often have a tendency to believe they are invincible. We in safety believe that familiarizing oneself with younger folk's way of thinking, culture and lifestyle helps. Remember; personal involvement, proper training, reinforcement and communication are the key to retaining good, safe teenage and summer hire employees.