Boston residents recently came together to stem the tide of Massachusetts Child Labor Law violations, work-related injuries, and deaths at a conference organized by youth leaders from the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) and the Teens Lead at Work program at MassCOSH (the Massachusetts Coalition of Occupational Safety and Health). The attorney's at the Boston office of the Law Office of Neil Burns want Massachusetts children to stay safe. The Law Office of Neil Burns can help if your child is injured or hurt in an accident.
With summer just around the corner and tens of thousands of young people entering the workforce in Massachusetts, Governor Deval Patrick has proclaimed May "Safe Jobs for Youth Month" to focus attention on preventing child workplace injuries and deaths.
Since 2000, according to MassCOSH, eight teens in Massachusetts have been killed at work, many doing jobs prohibited under the Child Labor Laws. Each year, an estimated 1,000 minors in Massachusetts are treated in emergency rooms for work-related injuries. While workers, in general, can be exposed to many hazards on the job that can result in injury, illness, or even death, young workers are at increased risk. They are sometimes asked to perform tasks for which they lack the size, strength or experience. As new workers, they are also often unfamiliar with workplace hazards, ways to avoid injuries, and their rights as workers.
Safe Jobs for Youth Month increases the awareness of Child Labor laws, as well as health and safety issues young workers face on the job. Information will be available at http://www.masscosh.org for young workers, parents, employers and educators about keeping youth safe at work. The Massachusetts Attorney General's youth employment website also has information at http://www.laborlowdown.com.
