Reducing On-the-Job Injuries among Teens

HHD runs the National Young Worker Safety Resource Center, with funding from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and in partnership with the University of California at Berkeley. The goal of this Center is to prevent and reduce workplace injuries among adolescents by strengthening policies and programs in state health, education, and labor departments.

Working collaboratively, they identify avenues for institutionalizing the Center’s curriculum—Youth @ Work: Talking Safety—in school and community programs to provide basic occupational safety and health information at the high school level. On-site workshops are provided for teachers and job readiness professionals, preparing them to deliver the Youth @ Work curriculum to teens. Training also includes strategies to reach and involve small businesses in keeping their young workers safe and healthy.

To date, at least 18 states have participated in the training and have begun to incorporate the Youth @ Work curriculum in school and community programs.