David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
Teens often tragically unaware of summer job dangers
by Monica Matys, CTV
June 19, 2009
School is almost out and that means most teens are moving from the classroom to the workplace. While employers are supposed to provide safety training at these summer jobs, in most cases, they don't. The reality is many teens walk into new jobs totally unaware of the hazards.
That leads to about 50 deaths every year, and many more injuries that could have been prevented.
A little while ago, I met Paul Kells, who lost his 19-year-old son Sean in the summer of 1994, just three days after he started a new job.
Sean was working part-time in a warehouse to save money for university. He was pouring a liquid that he didn’t realize was dangerous and required precautions. The liquid ignited and exploded.
"He had third degree burns to 95% of his body, and he died a day later,” Kells told me. “It was the most awful thing, the most awful thing."
Kells has now become a leader in the field of injury prevention and founded Safe Communities Canada.
Any new job for teens means they don't know how things work and where the hazards are. Add to that the fact that teens often feel invincible, or are willing to do anything to hold a job in a today's tough market, and you could have a recipe for disaster.
Statistics indicate that young workers are more likely to be injured on the first month of a job than at any other time. Yet only about a third of high school students say they received safety training from their employers.
Workplace safety expert Robert Sheriff says most deaths and injuries happen not in industrial sites, but in everyday places like retail stores and restaurants. He says there are often burns and trips and spill, as well as accidents involving things falling and landing on people.
Kells would like to see school boards offer more safety training for teens. He also advises parents to ask employers about their training policies or even check out a workplace before allowing your child to accept a job there.
After losing his son, Kells helped develop Passport to Safety, an online information test that helps students learn about safety and their workplace rights. Over a quarter of a million high school students in Ontario have taken the test. Still, he says more need to realize the dangers.
"Every time I see the death of a child at work, well, it sure reminds me of my own son, and it reminds me every time how senseless it is, and how preventable it absolutely was, and something could have stopped it from happening."
by Monica Matys, CTV
June 19, 2009
School is almost out and that means most teens are moving from the classroom to the workplace. While employers are supposed to provide safety training at these summer jobs, in most cases, they don't. The reality is many teens walk into new jobs totally unaware of the hazards.
That leads to about 50 deaths every year, and many more injuries that could have been prevented.
A little while ago, I met Paul Kells, who lost his 19-year-old son Sean in the summer of 1994, just three days after he started a new job.
Sean was working part-time in a warehouse to save money for university. He was pouring a liquid that he didn’t realize was dangerous and required precautions. The liquid ignited and exploded.
"He had third degree burns to 95% of his body, and he died a day later,” Kells told me. “It was the most awful thing, the most awful thing."
Kells has now become a leader in the field of injury prevention and founded Safe Communities Canada.
Any new job for teens means they don't know how things work and where the hazards are. Add to that the fact that teens often feel invincible, or are willing to do anything to hold a job in a today's tough market, and you could have a recipe for disaster.
Statistics indicate that young workers are more likely to be injured on the first month of a job than at any other time. Yet only about a third of high school students say they received safety training from their employers.
Workplace safety expert Robert Sheriff says most deaths and injuries happen not in industrial sites, but in everyday places like retail stores and restaurants. He says there are often burns and trips and spill, as well as accidents involving things falling and landing on people.
Kells would like to see school boards offer more safety training for teens. He also advises parents to ask employers about their training policies or even check out a workplace before allowing your child to accept a job there.
After losing his son, Kells helped develop Passport to Safety, an online information test that helps students learn about safety and their workplace rights. Over a quarter of a million high school students in Ontario have taken the test. Still, he says more need to realize the dangers.
"Every time I see the death of a child at work, well, it sure reminds me of my own son, and it reminds me every time how senseless it is, and how preventable it absolutely was, and something could have stopped it from happening."
