The new campaign is launching at the start of Healthy Workplace Month and will run through October and November, the IAPA said in a news release. It hopes to raise awareness of young worker safety and of the availability of young-worker health and safety resources.

The non-profit organization has developed an award-winning interactive health and safety young worker orientation and training kit, First 4 Weeks. The program has two parts – one for supervisors and one for young and new workers. It notes the need for such a campaign, citing these statistics:

• In 2006, 10 young workers aged 15 to 24 were killed on the job and 11,382 young workers lost at least one day’s work due to an injury.
• In the first four weeks on the job, young workers are more than five times more likely to be injured while at work.
• Young workers are twice as likely as adults to be victims of work-related injuries.

The IAPA suggests there may be several reasons young workers are at higher risk for injury:

• They are eager to impress the boss and fit in with their colleagues so they may do a task they are untrained for rather than make their health and safety a priority.
• Due to lack of experience and knowledge, they may be unable to assess the risk involved in their jobs.
• Young workers may be unaware of their rights and responsibilities, including the right to ask questions and to ask for proper training while being able to refuse unsafe work.