1. Occupational Injuries in Connecticuts Young Working Population Deborah A. Pease Occupational Health Program State of Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH)

2. Introduction In the United States… An estimated 2.1 million adolescents 16-17 years of age are employed NIOSH estimates that 200,000 teens aged 14-17 are injured on the job every year 60-70 teens die from work-related injuries, hundreds require hospitalization and thousands require emergency room visits

3. Background Workers Compensation Commission (WCC) data for young workers in Connecticut has not been analyzed in over ten years Lack of data makes it difficult to identify high- risk and/or specific areas of concern Limited # of data sources available Injury prevention initiatives CT Young Worker Safety Team

4. Workers Compensation Data Employers First Report of Occupational Injury and Illness How did we get this information? History of using this data Clinics Bill Key personnel

5. Overview Injury Claims were obtained from WCC 1997-2001 14-17 years of age 1,418 reports used for analysis Demographic, cross tabs and temporal analyses for injury, industry, and occupation

6. Limitations Data may be incomplete for 2001 Specific denominator data for this age group could not be obtained WCC data does not capture all occupational injuries Information under reported by employers Not mandated/Fear of higher insurance costs

7. Number of Reported Injuries among Young Workers by Gender and Year, Connecticut, 1997-2001 (Gender was unknown for 17 records) 266 296 416 297 143

8. Number of Reported Injuries among Young Workers by Age and Year, Connecticut, 1997-2001 Age in Years19971998199920002001Total 144544522 155121812754 16809114510276494 1717718824917955848 n=1418

9. Percentage of Reported Injuries among Young Workers by Age and Year of Injury, Connecticut, 1997-2001 Year of Injury Percentage 89 177 108 188 167 249 118 179 88 55

10. Distribution of Reported Injury Types among Young Workers, Connecticut, 1997-2001 n=1418

11. Number of Reported Injuries among Young Workers by Selected Injury Type and Age, Connecticut, 1997-2001 Type of Injury 14 years 15 years 16 years 17 yearsTotal Lacerations314111187315 Strains and Sprains 61496191307 Contusions4975153241 Burns044977130 Fractures12172242 Unknown4786124221 Other536094162

12. Number of Reported Injuries among Young Workers by Selected Injury Type and Gender, Connecticut, 1997-2001 Type of InjuryTotal% Males Lacerations31272.4 Strains and Sprains30458.6 Contusions23747.7 Burns12851.6 Fractures4158.5 Unknown21757.6 Other16262.3 Total140159.5 (Gender was unknown for 17 records).

13. Distribution of Reported Injuries to Young Workers by Selected Industry Types, Connecticut, 1997-2001 n=1418

14. Distribution of Reported Injuries in Eating and Drinking Places among Young Workers, Connecticut, 1997-2001 n=339

15. Distribution of Reported Injuries in General Merchandise Stores among Young Workers, Connecticut, 1997-2001 n=182

16. Distribution of Reported Injuries in Food Stores among Young Workers, Connecticut, 1997-2001 n=163

17. Distribution of Reported Injuries in Health Services among Young Workers, Connecticut, 1997-2001 n=95

18. Distribution of Reported Injuries in General Government among Young Workers, Connecticut, 1997-2001 n=84

19. Number of Reported Injuries among Young Workers by Selected Industry Type and Gender, Connecticut, 1997-2001 Type of IndustryTotal% Males Eating and drinking places33956.3 General merchandise stores18259.9 Food stores16354.6 Health Services9530.5 General government8472.6 Unknown1266.7 Other52665.8 Total140159.5 (Gender was unknown for 17 records).

20. Distribution of Reported Injuries among Young Workers by Selected Occupation Types, Connecticut, 1997-2001 n=1418

21. Number of Reported Injuries among Young Workers by Selected Occupation Type and Gender, Connecticut, 1997-2001 OccupationTotal% Males Laborer20465.7 Restaurant workers15355.6 Retail store8456.0 Convalescent or nursing home employee 3023.3 Unknown60456.5 Other32667.2 Total140159.5 (Gender was unknown for 17 records).

22. Conclusions Young workers are suffering from occupational injuries in Connecticut, despite the existence of regulations designed to protect them. Comprehensive data sources for young worker injuries in the state are lacking.

23. Conclusions Need for intervention strategies based upon surveillance data Males Lacerations Sprains & strains Eating and drinking places (i.e. restaurants) 2x

24. Next Steps Denominator data needed for rate calculations with WCC Verify 2001 data with WCC Add 2002 data Capture-recapture analysis with data from Department of Labor and/or Emergency Department data

25. Next Steps Encourage and implement educational programs to train young workers about potential occupational hazards Possible solutions: modifying the environment, use of appropriate protective equipment, age-appropriate training and supervision, and increased enforcement of the child labor laws should be considered