A first job can be an exciting event for teens in California and elsewhere across the country. Kids can start to work as early as fourteen or fifteen years of age in many cases. The types of work that they are allowed to do may vary according to their age, but the fact that teens are more likely to suffer workplace accidents remains steady while a person is under the age of 25.
In fact, according to a recent report, teens are twice as likely to suffer workplace accidents than their older co-workers. This may be because of the types of jobs that typically employ teenagers, the kids themselves or the lack of training. The report, published by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), says that teens are most likely to suffer cuts and abrasions at work, with sprains and strains a close second for the types of injuries.
Teens are most likely to be employed by the retail and fast food industries. This type of work can include lifting, carrying boxes and other strenuous labor. In many cases, the report noted, kids are not adequately trained to perform these tasks, which can increase the likelihood of workplace injury.
Teens, and other workers in California, have a right to refuse to work in unsafe conditions. However, without proper training, there may be situations in which a worker, regardless of their age, is unaware are unsafe. When this is the case, workplace accidents can happen. However, regardless of the degree of training, if a person finds that he or she has been injured at work, he or she may have the ability to seek an award of damages for the injury suffered and the recovery from it, including losses such as missing work.