Injuries among high school teens enrolled in work-based learning programs and the effect of multiple jobs on injury occurrence

BACKGROUND: In the US, 71% of public high schools offer work-based learning programs for academic credit. These programs were developed from the 1994 School-To-Work Opportunities Act to support high school youth in transitioning from school to career-focused work. While the programs provide excellent opportunities for the development of a skilled workforce, no information exists on the injuries that students sustain while in these programs.

METHODS: A questionnaire was administered to 8,085 high school students in multiple school districts throughout Wisconsin. In total, 6,810 students responded to the survey (84% response rate).

RESULTS: There were 454 students (7%) enrolled in work-based learning programs; 250 were employed only in the school-based program and 204 were employed in multiple jobs. Overall, 20% of students were injured and 35% were severely injured, which was defined as sustaining an injury that affected activities for more than three days. However, students who worked multiple jobs were significantly more likely to be injured compared with students who were only employed in their work-based learning program job (26% vs. 14%, p=0.003). Injury type and characteristics were similar, however students who worked multiple jobs were more likely to report performing dangerous tasks, working late, and having near miss incidents at work.

CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to evaluate the occurrence of injury among students enrolled in school-based learning programs. Since students who are working multiple jobs are twice as likely to be injured, school-based efforts to ensure that labor laws are being followed is necessary to prevent injury.