Region 7 News Release: 11-904-KAN
June 17, 2011
Contact: Rich Kulczewski
Phone: 303-844-1302
Email: Kulczewski.Richard@dol.gov

US Department of Labor's OSHA to kick off National Young
Worker Safety Day campaign in Kansas City, Mo., on June 21
More than 200,000 teen workers injured each year

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration will partner with the CareerSafe Online program to help kick off the National Young Worker Safety Day campaign Tuesday, June 21, 10 a.m. CDT, at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Kansas City.

"OSHA is partnering in this campaign to make a significant and critical impact to decrease the number of youth worker injuries and fatalities in our country," said OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels. "Every five days, one teen worker is killed on the job, and more than 200,000 young workers are injured yearly – numbers that are double and sometimes triple that for any other age category."

The SkillsUSA conference will host more than 5,600 high school and college students from across the country, who will have the opportunity to join the campaign, sign safety awareness pledges, participate in safety awareness activities and receive materials to help keep safety at the forefront both inside and outside their work environments. More information on the conference is available at http://www.skillsusa.org/events/nlsc.shtml.

The goal of the CareerSafe Online program is to teach younger workers how to stay safe in the workplace, and help prepare them for a safe and prosperous future in their chosen careers.

Members of the public with questions about the campaign can contact Andrea Foster Mack from CareerSafe Online at afoster@careersafeonline.com or by telephone 979-574-5715.

Members of the media planning to cover the event should contact Rich Kulczewski in the Labor Department's Office of Public Affairs using the information above.

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U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille, audio tape or disc from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.