William Penn Life, 2000 (35. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2000-05-01 / 5. szám
answer if a teen worker is asked to drive a car or ride in the back of an open truck, use a power tool or do any type of roofing or excavation work. If you are the owner of a business which hires teens, or if you supervise teen workers, it is vital that you understand and comply with child labor laws and occupational safety and health regulations that apply to your business. The Labor Department has an employer guide, a poster with tips for work safety and other materials available on the internet at www.dol.gov/dói/safety/teensafety. h tm or from local offices of the department's Wage and Hour Division listed in the blue pages of your local telephone directory. Whether they'd like to admit it or not, teens need help to work safely. Their inexperience counts against them. In fact, workers with less than one-year's experience account for almost one-third of on-the-job injuries each year. What can be done to improve safety and reduce injuries? Show teens how to do the job the right way. What may be obvious to an adult or simple common sense to an experienced worker may not be so clear to a teen tackling a task for the What YOU Can Do ✓ Find out what jobs you're not allowed to do. Check out the Labor Department's website at www. do/.go v/dot/teensafe ty. h tm. ✓ Watch, listen and learn. Pay attention when your boss tells you how to do a job or run a certain piece of equipment. ✓ Ask questions. If you aren't sure what to do or how to do it, don't be embarrassed to ask your boss or an experienced co-worker. ✓ Know to say “No!" if your boss asks you to do a job that the law says you can't or that you don't feel you can do safely. ✓ Don't take shortcuts. Some work rules and instructions may seem weird, but they could keep you from getting hurt .and may even save your life. TEENS first time. Time spent showing a teen the best way to handle a job will be paid back threefold through work done right and without harm to products or injury to the teen. Give clear instructions. Let teens ask questions. Show them how to do it. Watch them do it. Check later to Teens Need Not Apply 17 hazardous jobs that are out of bounds for teens under the age of 18 Generally, teens may not work at jobs that involve: Meat packing or processing (including power-driven meat slicing machines) Driving a motor vehicle and being an outside helper on a motor vehicle Power-driven metal-forming, punching and shearing machines Exposure to radioactive substances and to ionizing radiations Power-driven circular saws, band saws and guillotine shears Wrecking, demolition and ship-breaking operations Manufacturing brick, tile and related products Power-driven paper-products machines Power-driven woodworking machines Manufacturing or storing explosives Power-driven hoisting equipment Mining, other than coal mining Power-driven bakery machines Logging and sawmilling Excavation operations Roofing operations Coal mining make sure the teen continues doing it correctly. Be sure teens know when they need to wear protective gear, where to find it, how to use it and how to care for it. Also, make sure they know to keep exit doors free of clutter and to turn off or disconnect equipment at the end of each shift. Teens also need to be ready to handle emergencies. They should know how to escape a fire, handle potentially violent customers and deal with power outages. They also need to know whom to go to if they get injured or need first aid or medical care, [fil Health Links Much of the information for this story can be found on the web site of the U.S. Department of Labor. To learn more about keeping teens—and all employees—safe on the job, log onto: www.dol.gov/dol/teensafety.htm Willi» Pen Lile, May 2000 7
