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Don't Become a Statistic! |
Tom's
Story: Crushed and Killed Operating a Forklift
 Workers under 18 years old are not allowed
by law to operate forklifts.
Tom was a 16-year-old hired as a summer helper at a
warehouse. He was driving a forklift down a loading dock
ramp with the forks lifted 10 feet high (all the way up)
when the vehicle became unstable. The forklift toppled over,
Tom got trapped underneath, and he was crushed to death.
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Don’t Let it Happen to You! |
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There are laws that protect anyone under 18 years old from
doing dangerous work. Know which tasks are too hazardous for teens, like
operating a forklift.
For those 18 and older, the key to operating a forklift safely is to be properly
trained and licensed. The training will teach you
steps to stay safe like using
a seatbelt and using extreme caution on slopes or ramps that will keep you on
the move when operating
powered industrial trucks like forklifts. |
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Rieko's Story: Shot to Death during Attempted Robbery
Rieko, a 16-year-old restaurant
cashier died when she was
shot in the head during an armed robbery attempt.
Rieko's father was the owner of a small Asian restaurant
where she worked after school. While she was standing
behind the counter, a man entered the restaurant, went
directly to her, pointed a handgun at her head, demanded
money, and fired the gun in her face. Rieko was
transported quickly by ambulance, but was pronounced dead at
the hospital.
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Don’t Let it Happen to You! |
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Working directly with customers and money puts young restaurant employees at risk for becoming a victim of robbery. Find out what you and
your employer can do to
make your surroundings safer from possible workplace violence |
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Tina's Story: Robbed and Shot to Death at a Video Store
Tina was a clerk working alone at a
video store. She was robbed and
shot in the head. She was found dead
a short time later. She was 22 years old.
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Don’t Let it Happen to You! |
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Retail jobs (like working in a store) have the highest number of young worker deaths outside of agriculture. The majority of these are due
to assaults or violent acts. Find out what you and your employer can do to
make your surroundings safer from possible
workplace
violence. |
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Jose's Story (age 15): Crushed and Died While Cleaning a Dough Mixing Machine
Jose, a 15-year-old pizzeria worker was killed when he became entangled in a machine used to mix pizza dough. Jose
had arrived in the United States from Guatemala one month
before the incident and had been working at the family-owned
pizza restaurant for only two weeks.
On the night of the incident, he was cleaning the pizza dough
mixer as the restaurant was closing for the evening, working
alone in the kitchen as the remaining staff cleaned the
adjoining dining room. He apparently lifted the cover of the
mixer, uncovering the 32-inch-diameter mixing bowl, and
started the machine. Reaching into the bowl he was caught by a
large mixing fork. His co-workers heard him scream, but were
unable to reach him in time.
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Don’t Let it Happen to You! |
There are laws that protect anyone under 18 years old from doing dangerous work. Know which tasks are too hazardous for teens, like
operation or cleaning of power-driven bakery machines.
For those 18 and older: Always ensure a machine is OFF (and can not unintentionally be turned on again) before attempting to clean any of its
parts. A machine-powered dough mixer like Jose was using should be designed with
safeguarding so that it is not possible to put your hand
into the bowl while the fork is in motion. In general, machines with sharp moving parts must have
machine guarding to keep body parts out
of harm’s way. |
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Joan's Story: "How I cut off my fingers." (17 years old)
"I was cleaning the meat slicer, which has a metal blade. There
is a sign on the slicer that says you must be over 18 to
operate it, but I used it all the time. In order to clean the
slicer, the blade had to be exposed which means the machine
had to be on. I was
cleaning the front of the slicer when my
foot slipped on a piece of plastic wrap that was on the floor.
My body fell forward into the slicer and I cut about 3/4 of
the nail and tip of my right index finger off. I grabbed a
clean cloth and then went into shock and started screaming. A
co-worker saw what had happened and called 911. A customer who
was a certified nurse got me a drink of water and held my arm
above my head. The paramedics came. They put the tip of my
finger on ice and took me to the ER in an ambulance."
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Don’t Let it Happen to You! |
There are laws that protect anyone under 18 years old from doing dangerous work. Know which tasks are too hazardous for teens, like
operation
or cleaning of meat slicers.
For those 18 and older:
Slips, trips, and falls are a common cause of injuries in restaurant workers. Yet simple steps like 1) keeping the
floor clean and dry and 2) wearing shoes with non-slip soles can help keep you on your feet! After slipping, Joan lost a finger
(amputation) when she contacted the sharp blade of the meat slicer. This is why machines with sharp moving parts must have
machine guarding
to help keep body parts out of harm’s way. |
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Tanya's Story: Second and
Third Degree Burns from Cooking Oil
Tanya, a 20-year-old, who worked at a fast-food restaurant, was cleaning exhaust filters above a deep fryer. She placed a wooden cover
over three of the fryer's four bins, which all contained hot grease, but there was no cover for the fourth bin. She fell while standing on a chair she had
placed on the wooden cover to reach and remove the filters. Tanya's arm and shoulder went into the hot grease in the uncovered bin. She was hospitalized for
four days and needed plastic surgery for scarring.
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Cleaning vents above deep fat fryers is an activity known to put teens at risk of bad burns. Can you name three things Tanya did that made it
even more dangerous? How about: 1) standing on a chair, 2) leaving one bin uncovered, and 3) cleaning with the oil still hot. Check out the
Teen Worker Safety in Restaurants eTool to find tips for staying safe when working with or around deep fat fryers. |
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Sheila's Story: A Waitress
who Slipped
 Sheila was a
17-year-old waitress in a delicatessen who slipped on a wet floor. As she fell, Sheila stepped into a bucket of hot grease that was on the floor while a
co-worker was changing the grease in the deep-fat fryer. The hot grease burned Sheila's ankle. She was hospitalized for 3 days, required surgery for skin
grafting and suffered permanent scarring of her ankle.
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Don’t Let it Happen to You! |
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Slips, trips, and falls are a common cause of injuries in restaurant workers. Yet simple steps like 1) keeping the floor clean and dry and 2)
wearing shoes with non-slip soles can help keep you on your feet! Sheila had the bad luck to step into a bucket of hot grease which should
never have been left on the floor in the first place. Check out the Teen Worker Safety in Restaurants eTool for more tips on staying safe
while
serving and working around
deep fat fryers. |
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Sid's Story:
Fatally Electrocuted by an Electric Toaster
Sid, an 18-year-old employee with 15 months' experience at a fast food restaurant, was electrocuted when he plugged a portable electric
toaster into an outlet on the floor which had been damp-mopped five minutes earlier.
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We all live and work with electricity- it has become an essential part of our modern world. But even though it is common, it can be
dangerous- even deadly. As Sid’s story shows, something as simple as plugging in a toaster can become deadly under certain circumstances.
An electrical safety training program will teach you tips like never plug in electrical equipment if your hands are wet or touching a damp
or wet surface. Check out the
Teen Worker Safety in Restaurants eTool for more tips on staying safe while working with electrical
appliances. |
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Robert's Story: Chemical Poisoning
Robert, a 17-year-old laborer, was assigned to clean the inside of metal molds used to make plastic containers. He propped the mold
upright and leaned into it to wipe the bottom of the mold with a cloth rag and a chemical (called Tetracholoroethylene). He was found by a co-worker dead inside
the mold.
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Before using any cleaning product, find out what it is, what it can do, and how you can protect yourself from harm. Employers must provide
you with information (including a
Material Safety Data Sheet) on chemicals that could be dangerous to your health and must train you to
handle them appropriately. This is part of a required workplace Hazard Communication program, called
HazCom for short. Reading the Material
Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the chemical that Robert was using to clean, called
Tetracholoroethylene, would tell you that it is very toxic
and should be used with good ventilation and/or breathing equipment to protect you from poisoning. If information is not offered to you
about chemicals you use at work, be sure to ask for it. |
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Sally's Story:
Electrocuted at the Pool
Sally
was a 17-year-old assistant pool manager whose duties
included maintaining the pH level in the swimming pool by
adding soda ash to the water. Standing barefoot on the
wet concrete floor of the pump room, Sally filled the
plastic drum with water, plugged in the mixing motor, and
placed the motor switch in the on position. In the process
of adding soda ash to the drum, she accidentally contacted
the energized mixing motor with her left hand and created a
path to ground for the electrical current. Sally died from
electrocution.
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Electricity is all around us and we use it every day. Still, it is important to remember that it can be very dangerous under certain
circumstances. This is why all workers should receive training in
electrical safety. What was unsafe about Sally’s situation? 1) The floor
was wet (water acts as a conductor of electricity, increasing its ability to flow), 2) she was barefoot (wearing insulated boots or shoes
would decrease the ability of electricity to flow), and 3) the equipment was not properly set up and maintained (the motor was not grounded
properly and the ground fault circuit interrupter was not connected properly). The use of insulation, guarding, grounding, electrical
protective devices, and safe work practices can help you stay safe while working with and around electricity. |
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Jason's Story:
Electrocuted and Died in a Car Wash
Jason was a 15-year-old worker at an automated car wash. The manager
asked him to remove a defective motor from the car wash
machine and had disconnected the motor from the three wires
supplying power, but the 
power circuit was not de-energized. Jason was removing the
motor when a car entered the
car wash and computer-controlled equipment activated the
motor. Jason died from electrocution.
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Electricity is all around us and we use it every day. Still, it is important to remember that it can be very dangerous under certain
circumstances. This is why all workers should receive training in
electrical safety.
Before attempting any maintenance work (like Jason was doing on the carwash
motor), all energy sources must be de-energized. Your employer must have a
system in place that covers the proper procedure for shutting down the equipment
and ensuring that it is not unexpectedly started again until you are done and
safely out of the way. This type of system is called "lockout/tagout," or "LOTO" for short. |
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Craig's Story: Hit by Two cars
A
16-year-old helper on a trash
hauling truck stepped off a garbage truck into a lane of
oncoming traffic and was struck by a
minivan. The impact
 threw
him into the opposite traffic
lane where he was struck by a
second vehicle. Both his legs were broken.
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Don’t Let it Happen to You! |
There are laws that protect anyone under 18 years of age from
doing dangerous work. Know which tasks are too hazardous for teens, like being an
outside helper on a
motor vehicle.
For those 18 years and older: High visibility clothing (including reflective gear at night) can help drivers to spot you better. And remember
to always look before you leap if you must step into a lane of traffic. A better plan, if possible, would be to exit on the side away from
traffic or at least be sure there is a physical barrier between you and the cars. And check out
motor vehicle safety for information on
how to stay safe in the driver’s seat. |
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Mohammed's Story: Lost his Fingers in a Printing Machine
Mohammed, a 24-year-old worker in a printing shop, accidentally
touched a blade on a printing machine. The blade cut through two
of his fingers
instantly. Mohammed lost his fingers because the printing machine
did not have machine guarding.
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Don’t Let it Happen to You! |
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An
amputation (loss of limb) is one of the most common and disabling injuries that can happen when working with machinery, but it is usually
preventable. The
printing industry, like many other industries, uses powerful machines with sharp moving parts, so employers must provide
machine guarding to keep body parts (like Mohammed’s fingers) out of harm’s way. |
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Rodney's Story: Lost his Fingers in a Printing Machine
Rodney, a 20-year-old worker lost his right middle finger
while cleaning near a rotating gear of a printing press.
Two-thirds of his finger was cut off when it was caught by
the rotating press.
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Amputation (loss of limb) is a risk when working around powerful machines like those used in the
printing industry. To stay safe, always
turn a machine OFF before attempting to clean any part of it. Your employer must explain to you how to shut down the machine and ensure
that it is not unexpectedly started again until you are safely out of the way. This type of system is called "lockout/tagout," or "LOTO"
for short. |
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Miguel's Story: "How a Gas-powered Mower Cut my Finger"
"I was 17-years-old and working on a gas-powered mower.
I had the mower on the lift at waist level and running so I
could adjust the carburetor. It was surging so I put my hand
under the deck to pull it back. The blade was spinning and I
felt a pinch. My boss yelled for 911 because there was blood
everywhere. He grabbed me and put pressure on my wrist and
put my hand under cold water. I went into shock. The
paramedic took me to the hospital. The blade cut through the
bone and shattered the bone in another place. It cut the
tips of my ring and middle fingers. I got 18 stitches and
the next week I had surgery to insert two pins.
"Two months after the injury, I still cannot do my
usual activities. I have numbness in my fingers and
sensitivity to hot and cold. I am afraid I will have
permanent scarring and loss of sensation in my fingers. I
may not be able to go back to vocation technical school
because I am not able to do repair work anymore!
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Proper training can help you stay safe while maintaining machinery like gas-powered mowers. Make sure you have been shown the correct
procedures and be sure to ask questions if there is anything you do not understand. In general, you should avoid putting your hands
anywhere near sharp moving parts. If possible, turn the machine off or remove the blade before performing maintenance. Also, ask your
employer if any of the equipment you work on requires
machine guarding or “lockout/tagout" procedures. |
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Frances' Story: Burned Right Arm
Frances was a 24 year-old worker at a silk screen printing
shop. She was standing in front of the automatic screen
printing machine with her right arm extended close to the
frame while it was warming up. When she reached  her arm
into the moving machine to clean the frame, the moving
carousel struck her arm and pushed it into the 590
degree head of the machine, giving her a 3rd degree burn.
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To avoid being burned, clean equipment only when it is turned OFF and the parts are still and cool. For some minor servicing operations, the
inch-safe-service method can be used. Some equipment requires that you take more specific safety steps before doing cleaning or maintenance
work- ask about your company’s "lockout/tagout" program to find out which machines are involved and what you need to know. For more general
information about staying safe while working in the printing industry, check out
printing industry health and safety concerns. |
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Danny's Story: A Machine Cut off
his Leg
Danny, a 24-year-old employee, was working with drilling
equipment when he was caught in the machinery and cut off his leg
below the knee.
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Drilling equipment is super-strong and
super-sharp so it can cut through hard surfaces, but this also means it can cut through you (causing an
amputation like the loss of Danny’s
leg). This is why machines with sharp moving parts must have
machine guarding to keep body parts out of harm’s way. Employers must also
explain to you how to turn these machines off and how to ensure that they are not restarted while you are in harm’s way. These types of
programs, called "lockout/tagout," should be explained to you before you work around these types of machines. |
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Kevin's Story: Kevin Died from Lack of Oxygen 
Kevin was a 16-year-old employee of a company that bored
holes. Lying
on a skateboard, he entered a very narrow steel tube that
ran horizontally underground. His job was to use an
electronic device to locate rocks that were interfering with
the boring process. After about 20 minutes, he stopped
communicating with his coworker outside the tube and the
co-worker called for help. Kevin was pronounced dead at the
scene. He suffocated from lack of oxygen inside the tube.
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There are strict safety rules that must be followed when an employee enters a
confined space like the narrow steel tube Kevin was in. With
the right recognition, testing, evaluation, and monitoring, a dangerously low level of oxygen (like in Kevin’s tube) can be detected before
it has a chance to harm anyone. |
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Steven's Story: A Carpenter who Fell and Died 
Steven was 20-years-old and worked as a carpenter for a
construction company building an apartment building. When he
was trying to install temporary supports for the roof
trusses, he fell through the third and second story stairway
openings and landed on the first floor concrete walkway. He
died from a fractured skull and brain injuries.
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Falls are the most common cause of death for construction workers. Working at heights (6 feet or more) can be made significantly safer with
guard rail systems, safety net systems, and/or fall arrest systems. Check out the Construction eTool for more information on
fall protection,
and ask your employer what systems are in place at your worksite to protect you. |
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Alex's Story: Died from Heat Stroke 
Alex was a 23-year-old firefighter. He and 12 other
firefighters were nearing completion of a physical training
session when he collapsed, lost consciousness, and went into cardiac
arrest. Emergency personnel arrived at the scene, began
treatment, and transported him to the hospital where he was
pronounced dead.
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Too much heat can kill you, even if you are young and fit. In order to stay cool while doing hard work on a hot day, try these tips: wear
light, cool clothing; wear a hat; drink plenty of water; and know the early
signs of heat illness. Check out the teen worker
heat hazard
page for more tips on beating the heat. |
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Reggie's Story:
Electrocuted as a Contract Laborer
Reggie was a 16-year-old electrical laborer who was electrocuted
when a de-energized
powerline he was coiling on the ground
contacted an energized overhead powerline. Working on an
obsolete powerline, the crew leader was releasing
the powerline phases from the pole-mounted crossarms by
cutting the tie wires. As the conductors fell to the ground,
Reggie and a co-worker coiled them and loaded them on a
truck. The pole from which they were releasing the
conductors was very close to an energized powerline. As one
of the conductors was released, the tension on the remaining
conductors caused the pole to lean into the energized
powerline, energizing the pole's powerline. Reggie, holding
one of the conductors in his hands, was electrocuted and
killed instantly. His co-worker, who also was 16-years-old, received
flash burns to his face.
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Don’t Let it Happen to You! |
There are laws that protect anyone under 18 years of age from doing dangerous work. Know which tasks are too hazardous for teens, like
wrecking and demolition (includes cleanup and salvage work performed at the site of the total or partial razing, demolishing, or dismantling
of a building, bridge, steeple, tower, chimney, other structure, ship or other vessel).
For those 18 years and older:
Electricity is all around us and we use it every day. Still, it is important to remember that it can be very
dangerous under certain circumstances. This is why all workers should receive training in
electrical safety. In cases like Reggie’s, proper
evaluation of the work site and training of the employees involved could have prevented the injury and death.
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Brian's Story: Caught Between Formwork and Concrete Column
Brian was 23 years old. He was working for a construction
company and trying to remove a temporary beam which was
supporting steel beam 
formwork for a highway bridge. The
formwork shifted and he was caught between the formwork and
a concrete column. He was killed because of the trauma he
suffered.
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Don’t Let it Happen to You! |
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Getting "caught-between" heavy objects is a major hazard on construction worksites. To avoid being crushed, be sure to receive proper job
training and supervision. Also, always stay alert when working around any large objects that move or might move. Check out the
Construction eTool for more tips on staying safe while working in the construction industry. |
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Scott's Story:
Died After Being Struck by a Front End Loader
Scott, a 20-year old construction worker, was killed when he
was struck by a Caterpillar front-end loader at a construction
site. He was directing the traffic flow for incoming trucks,
which were unloading stone and sand at a concrete batch
plant. After directing a dump truck to unload its load of
sand, he was struck by the left rear of the front end loader
as it was backing from the ramp leading to the sand and
gravel hoppers. The front end loader  backed over him with
the left rear tire, which caused severe trauma to his chest.
He died 13 hours later from his injuries.
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The second most common cause of construction-related deaths is being struck by an object. Almost three out of four of these incidents involve
being struck by heavy equipment like trucks, cranes, or front end loaders. To prevent this, the sounding of audible alarms and functional
horns when equipment is moving provides warning to nearby workers. These sounds attract workers’ attention and give them a chance to get
out of the way if they are in the path of danger. In Scott’s case, the backup alarm and front horn on the front end loader were not working,
so he did not receive the signal to get out of the way to safety. Every employer must regularly test and maintain equipment to prevent
vehicular "struck-by" accidents like Scott suffered. Check out the
Construction eTool for a list of additional vehicle safety practices
that will help you stay safe while working on a construction site. |
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Blake and Eric's Story: Electrocution at Work
Blake, age 21, and Eric, age 19, were roofers working for a
construction company. They were 
seriously shocked and burned when a ladder-type aluminum track platform hoist they
were moving contacted an overhead high voltage powerline. Both
were hospitalized. Eric survived, but Blake died 6 days
later.
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Don’t Let it Happen to You! |
Although Blake and Eric were old enough (21 & 19) to do this type work legally, if you are a teen you are not. There are laws that protect
anyone under 18 years of age from doing dangerous work. Know which tasks are too hazardous for teens, like participating in
roofing
operations.
For those 18 years and older: Blake and Eric’s story of electrical injury and death is not uncommon. Overhead power lines can carry tens of
thousands of volts of electricity. That means if you accidentally come in contact with them, you will probably get zapped. Check out the
Construction eTool for tips on staying safe while working around power lines. |
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to review your teen worker