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WASHINGTON,
DC –
The National Consumers League (NCL) has issued its
annual report for 2008 on the
Five Worst Teen Jobs, with recent accidental
deaths in agriculture keeping work in fields and processing at
the top of the list for the second year running. Based on
statistics from the National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health, a teen American worker is injured on the job every
two minutes, and one teen dies from a workplace injury every
five days. Reid Maki, NCL’s Director for Social Responsibility
and Coordinator of the Child Labor Coalition, reminded teens and
parents that it’s not too late to focus on safety when
considering a summer job.
“More than half a million youth help harvest our nation’s crops
each year. Farms may look bucolic and pretty, but they have
proven too often to be dangerous workplaces, especially in
fields where heavy machinery like tractors are used,” said Maki.
“Summer provides numerous opportunities for young workers across
the country to make some extra money, whether it’s in the
fields, in a retail store, or making French fries in a fast food
restaurant. It’s crucial for teens and their parents to
understand the dangers of summer work, especially when it comes
to the jobs that have made our list.”
Maki cited two 2008 examples of fatal incidents involving young
agriculture workers, which helped put fieldwork and processing
at the top of this year’s list: In May, Maria Isabel Vasquez
Jimenez, a 17-year-old farmworker died in San Joaquin County,
California of heat stroke after working nine hours in a
vineyard. Jimenez was pregnant at the time. In January,
Edilberto Cardenas, 17, was killed in a Groveland, Florida
citrus grove. It was his first day on the job. Cardenas was
emptying bags of oranges into a truck when then truck backed
over him.
NCL’s Five Worst Teen Jobs of
2008
This year’s Five Worst Teen Jobs are:
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Agriculture: Fieldwork and Processing
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Traveling Youth Crews
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Construction and Work in Heights
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Driver/Operator: Forklifts, Tractors,
and ATVs
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Outside Helper: Landscaping,
Groundskeeping, and Lawn Service
The Five Worst Jobs of 2008 list includes both jobs that are
permitted for teens by law and those that are prohibited by
child labor laws, underscoring the need for teens, parents, and
employers to be aware of existing protections. For example,
operating forklifts, driving farm equipment, working on roofs,
and applying or handling pesticides on farms are currently
outlawed. Furthermore, despite urging by advocates for Congress
and the Department of Labor to prohibit the what are know as the
“most dangerous forms of child labor,” some of the activities on
the list remain legally permitted work for teens, including work
at heights, poultry catching and processing, driving tractors
and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), operating chain saws
(prohibited for only use on wood) and working on traveling youth
crews that sell magazines or other products. All are legal work
for minors, despite compelling statistics about the heightened
threat of occupational injuries and deaths to working youth.
NCL compiles the Five Worst Teen Jobs each year using government
statistics and reports, results from the Child Labor Coalition’s
annual survey of state labor departments, and news accounts of
injuries and deaths. Statistics and examples of injuries for
each job on the list are detailed in a report available at
www.nclnet.org/labor/childlabor. |
