Adam's Apple
Senior Member
- Apr 25, 2004
- 4,092
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Excerpted from a paid subscription site:
The National Consumers League recently announced its "Five Worst Teen Jobs", and right at the top, it names "Agriculture: Field Work and Processing." "Agriculture is the most dangerous industry for young workers, accounting for 42 percent of all work-related fatalities of young workers between 1992 and 2000," the consumer's group reported in a news release. "According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, among young agricultural workers aged 15-17, the risk of fatal injury is four times the risk for young workers in other workplaces."
Second on the list of worst teen jobs is "Construction and Work in Heights." Construction sites are not just notoriously hot and dirty. Statistics show that youth 15-17 face a risk of fatal injury more than seven times greater than youth working in other industries. Young workers also face double the risks of construction workers in the 25-44 age group.
In third place on the worst jobs list is landscaping, groundskeeping and lawn service jobs. The risks here include working power tools such as chain saws, tractors and all-terrain vehicles. Additionally, these jobs expose young workers to pesticides, fertilizers and other hazardous chemicals.
The fourth-worst job is anything that involves operating forklifts, tractors and ATVs. According to Consumers League (and federal) statistics, forklifts pose an unanticipated high risk in that you don't have to be operating one to be in danger. "Nearly half of all forklift-related deaths were caused by working around them - being run over, struck by the machine or its cargo, or pinned by a forklift, or riding as a passenger."
The fifth worst job is one in which the danger is not directly related to the work but rather, the risk of being preyed upon by adults. "Traveling Youth Crews" that sell candy, magazine subscriptions and other door-to-door items face risks ranging from transportation accidents to rape and sexual assault and even murder.
"The watchdog group, Parent Watch, has compiled a list of dozens of felonies involving door-to-door salespeople, including 13 cases of rape or sexual assault, four cases of murder and a number of deaths from traffic accidents attributed to faulty equipment or negligent driving - since 2000," the National Consumers League reported.
Now, none of the types of jobs listed are so inherently dangerous they should be avoided. The risks arise from lack of training and supervision and inattention to safe practices. Parents can learn more about assessing employment safety by going to the consumer group's tips at: http:// nclnet.org/labor/childlabor.
The benefits to summer employment far outweigh the risks. Youths who work make money, gain maturity, learn responsibility and discover how to work with people sometimes very different from themselves.
The National Consumers League recently announced its "Five Worst Teen Jobs", and right at the top, it names "Agriculture: Field Work and Processing." "Agriculture is the most dangerous industry for young workers, accounting for 42 percent of all work-related fatalities of young workers between 1992 and 2000," the consumer's group reported in a news release. "According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, among young agricultural workers aged 15-17, the risk of fatal injury is four times the risk for young workers in other workplaces."
Second on the list of worst teen jobs is "Construction and Work in Heights." Construction sites are not just notoriously hot and dirty. Statistics show that youth 15-17 face a risk of fatal injury more than seven times greater than youth working in other industries. Young workers also face double the risks of construction workers in the 25-44 age group.
In third place on the worst jobs list is landscaping, groundskeeping and lawn service jobs. The risks here include working power tools such as chain saws, tractors and all-terrain vehicles. Additionally, these jobs expose young workers to pesticides, fertilizers and other hazardous chemicals.
The fourth-worst job is anything that involves operating forklifts, tractors and ATVs. According to Consumers League (and federal) statistics, forklifts pose an unanticipated high risk in that you don't have to be operating one to be in danger. "Nearly half of all forklift-related deaths were caused by working around them - being run over, struck by the machine or its cargo, or pinned by a forklift, or riding as a passenger."
The fifth worst job is one in which the danger is not directly related to the work but rather, the risk of being preyed upon by adults. "Traveling Youth Crews" that sell candy, magazine subscriptions and other door-to-door items face risks ranging from transportation accidents to rape and sexual assault and even murder.
"The watchdog group, Parent Watch, has compiled a list of dozens of felonies involving door-to-door salespeople, including 13 cases of rape or sexual assault, four cases of murder and a number of deaths from traffic accidents attributed to faulty equipment or negligent driving - since 2000," the National Consumers League reported.
Now, none of the types of jobs listed are so inherently dangerous they should be avoided. The risks arise from lack of training and supervision and inattention to safe practices. Parents can learn more about assessing employment safety by going to the consumer group's tips at: http:// nclnet.org/labor/childlabor.
The benefits to summer employment far outweigh the risks. Youths who work make money, gain maturity, learn responsibility and discover how to work with people sometimes very different from themselves.
