229516 Cause and Prevention of Young Worker Fatalities

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 3:00 PM - 3:15 PM

Ernest Weiss, Senior Analyst , Wage and Hour Division, United States Department of Labor, Washington, DC
Young workers account for a disproportionate number of workplace injuries and deaths compared to their representation in the U.S. workforce. Young workers are at risk of workplace injury because of their inexperience at work and their physical, cognitive, and emotional developmental characteristics. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), administered by the U.S. Department of Labor‘s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), restricts the hours that persons under age 16 can work and forbids the employment of persons under age 18 in certain jobs declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor. This presentation by a senior analyst on WHD's Child Labor and Special Employment Team will review a case study of a young worker fatality describing the facts of the case, relevant workplace hazards and WHD's investigation and findings. Discussion of the case will focus on how the fatality could have been prevented and what lessons can be learned that would protect workers in similar tasks and workplaces.

Learning Areas:
Occupational health and safety

Learning Objectives:
Identify causative factors in the young worker fatality presented. Describe measures by which this fatality could have been prevented.

Keywords: Youth at Work, Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I served as a Wage and Hour investigator for approximately 13 years and have served as a senior analyst in our National Office since April 2003 where my duties have included the development, formulation, dissemination, and enforcement of nationwide policies, regulations, directives, and procedures related to child labor laws. I have also spoken frequently on youth employment issues.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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