OSHA Launches New Summer Job Safety Campaign for Teens

Protecting the nation’s working teens during the summer is the goal of a new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) initiative being introduced by Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., OSHA's assistant secretary of labor. The Teen Summer Job Safety Campaign will kick off at Edison Academy, located at Thomas E. Edison High School in Alexandria, Va., on Thursday, April 6 beginning at 11:30 a.m.

Approximately 80 percent of U.S. teens work annually at some time during their high school years, many during the summer. While they earn extra money and gain valuable work experience, the risk of serious injury or even a fatal injury is present. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2004 alone, more than 38,000 teen workers were injured on the job, and another 134 were fatally injured.

OSHA’s multi-year campaign will focus on industries that young people are likely to work during high school or college; the program debuts this year focusing on the landscaping industry. Key to the program will be a demonstration by Edison students on safe work practices for landscaping, assisted by Dionne Williams, OSHA industrial hygienist.

Please confirm participation by contacting Frank Meilinger by phone (202) 693-1901 or e-mail (Meilinger.francis@dol.gov) by 4 p.m. on Wed., Apr.5, 2006. Directions to Edison High School follow: