Risk Factors for University Student Employee Injury

University student employees are exposed to environments that may place them at risk for injury. Factors in the workplace that could increase the risk of injuries specifically in student employees have not been widely identified. Lack of experience, stress from school, and relationships with co-workers may influence student injury rates.

Research has been done on risk factors in adult and adolescent workplace environments. The poster presentation discusses how risk factors that have been identified in the adult workplace, such as workplace hazards, affect injury rates in university student employees. Factors that are discussed include work-school conflict, job boredom, conflicts with supervisors, conflict with coworkers, physical hazards, workload, personal protective equipment, personal injuries, and safety training. The presentation identifies which risk factors contribute most significantly to the risk of injury. Results were obtained by distributing a survey to a large population of university student employees. The poster presentation also discusses the role of student awareness of worker's compensation policies in their injury reporting habits, student impressions of safety training, and the impact of relationships with co-workers on student employee injuries. The presentation explains how identification of the risk factors can help risk management and student employment services at universities prevent employee injuries by changing risk factors to create healthy workplace environments.