Young workers are a significant subset of the U.S. workforce, and they are at increased risk of being injured while on the job. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that, “In 2013, there were approximately 18.1 million workers less than 24 years of age, and these workers represented 13% of the workforce. Young workers have high occupational injury rates which are in part explained by a high frequency of injury hazards in workplaces where they typically work. “(1)
This webinar on work-related injuries to young workers provided an overview of the problem from both a national perspective and through the lens of the Massachusetts Young Workers Injury Surveillance and Prevention Project. Presenters Beatriz Pazos Vautin and Sara Rattigan described the surveillance system established in Massachusetts to document and illustrate injuries to young workers <25, as well as the diversity of intervention activities that have been carried out in collaboration with a range of government agency and community partners.
(1) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Young Worker Safety and Health. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/youth/. Accessed on September 18, 2015.