The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #37177

Tom O'Connor, North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Project (NCOSH), P.O Box 2514, Durham, NC 27715, 919-933-6322, taoc99@bellsouth.net

This presentation reports on the results of a small study of Latino immigrant youth working in construction in North Carolina. It was hypothesized that immigrant youth were unusually likely to be engaged in work that was prohibited by federal child labor laws and that young immigrant workers faced a disproportionate level of workplace hazards. Fifty youth were interviewed for the study using a semi-structured interview format. Participants ranged in age from 13 to 21. Job tasks included roofing, framing, painting, sheetrocking, and general labor. Interviews assessed the participants’ work experience in areas such as types of work performed while under 18; involvement in work prohibited by child labor laws; extent and nature of safety training received on the job; English language ability and, specifically, ability to understand safety training instructions; level of education; and documentation status (whether they were working legally or not in this country.) This presentation will present the results obtained in examining these questions and will compare them with results found for comparable populations of non-immigrant teen workers. The study will elucidate the specific hazards faced by teen immigrant workers and suggest some specific steps that should be taken to reduce the hazards faced by this vulnerable population.

Learning Objectives: Following the presentation, participants will be able to

• Name at least three factors which make immigrant youth particularly vulnerable to workplace hazards.
• List at least three types of job tasks which youth under 18 are prohibited by federal law from carrying out in construction work.
• Discuss the factors that contribute to unusually high rates of injury on the job among young immigrant workers in construction.
• Describe at least three barriers to reaching young immigrant workers with workplace health and safety training.

Keywords: Youth at Work, Immigration

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.