Learn more about hazards teens face, labor laws, rights on the job, and sources of information in the For Teens section of this site, or download the factsheets (in English and Spanish): Are You a Working Teen? or Are You a Teen Working in Agriculture?. If you place teens in jobs as part of a school-to-career, work experience or other program, check out the For Youth Employment Specialists section of this site.

Did you know that every 6 minutes, somewhere in the U.S., a teenager is injured seriously enough on the job to go to a hospital emergency room? The good news is that most of these injuries can be prevented if teachers, parents, employers, teens and others work together.

Help your students enter the world of work with the knowledge they need to stay safe:

Know Your Teens.

What Teacher and Counselors Can Do.

Know Your Teens

As a teacher, you may be one of the few adults familiar with teens' lives and concerns. Here are some national statistics to supplement what you know, and to help you better understand what your students may face out in the work world.

At least one third of your students may be working at any time.
In California there were 914,000 teens (46.8% of 16- to 19-year-olds) working in 2000 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). This doesn't include the many teens and children who begin work before they're sixteen, both legally and illegally. These are the next generation of workers in the U.S. and many of them need help in learning about their rights in the working world.

Youth of color are less likely to be employed than white youth.
In 1995, 18% of young African Americans held jobs, compared with 38% of young whites (U.S. Census Bureau, 1995 Current Population Survey March Supplement). By age 17, 83% of whites, 79% of Hispanics, and 70% of African Americans had job experience. These differences are primarily a result of differences in family income and resources. Youth living in poorer communities have fewer local job opportunities, may need to provide more support at home, and may lack transportation to get themselves to jobs outside their community.

Poor youth are more likely to work in hazardous industries.
According to the U.S. General Accounting office, low-income youth are more likely than more affluent youth to work in hazardous industries such as manufacturing, construction and agriculture (1991). These teens are especially in need of health and safety training and knowledge about their employment rights.

Teens work to earn money.
Most teens are working for the money rather than for the experience. Approximately 20% of U.S. teens work to support their families and 44% work to save for college (U.S. Department of Education 1996). These financial needs are very real and should be addressed in helping teens to balance their financial needs with their educational goals.

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What Teachers and Counselors Can Do

Teach about teen worker rights and responsibilities.

• Teach health and safety in your classes. Various curricula have been developed to educate teens about workplace safety and health in work experience, workability, school-to-career and life skills classes, as well as in academic classes such as U.S. Government, English or Science classes. Click Here to view a list of health and safety curricula.
• Let teens know about helpful resources. Download and post/distribute our brochure listing our toll free information line.
• Request Safe Jobs for Youth Month: A Resource Kit. This packet is available to teachers during Safe Jobs for Youth Month but can be used all year round to spread the word in your school or community. The Resource Kit includes:

Be aware of the laws that can protect teens from being injured on the job.

• California's child labor laws prohibit teens from working late and/or long hours, and from doing especially dangerous work.
• Cal/OSHA's workplace safety and health regulations require that the workplace be safe, and that workers receive health and safety training on the tasks they do.

Remind your students that working teens must have a work permit.

• In California, even during the summer, workers less than 18 years old must have a permit to work for each new job (unless they have already graduated). Students apply for work permits at their school or district office.

Help teens with problems at work.

• If a student has concerns about hours or safety at work, help him or her think about what changes are needed and why, whose help might be needed, and how to approach the supervisor.

Read through and encourage teens to check out the For Teens page on this web site.

	For more help, see Resources and Links.

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