The Art of Teen Worker Safety

When it comes to getting the attention of young people, nothing beats a fellow teen.

“When teens tell other teens ‘hey, this is important’ they tend to listen a littler harder than they would someone twenty years older than them,” says Teens Lead @ Work (TL@W) senior peer leader Whitley Paris.

To encourage young people to send strong, compelling messages promoting worker safety to their peers, Paris and her fellow peer leaders partnered with several state agencies to launch a statewide poster contest. Now in its second year, the Annual Massachusetts Safe Jobs for Youth Poster Contest engages teens 14-18 years old in designing a poster for cash prizes and involves youth across the Commonwealth as judges. Winners receive a $500 prize for first place, $300 for second, and $100 for third prize.

TL@W and its partners at the state agency group Youth Employment and Safety (YES) Team will announce the winners at a well-publicized press conference on April 20 during TL@W’s three-day youth leadership conference – Leadership Education and Action to Promote Safety (LEAPS). LEAPS brings together youth from across the state during April’s spring break for intensive training and community-based projects. 

(2011 Safe Jobs for Youth Poster Contest winner submitted by Jane Adams of Hingham, MA)

The poster contest seeks to help reduce some of the shocking statistics regarding youth and their workplaces. According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), one of the key YES team members, between 2004 – 2008 teens visited the emergency room over 4,000 times for work-related injuries, more than any other age group. DPH also found that young people tend to work in higher-hazard industries and, as new workers, are less familiar with workplace hazards, ways to avoid injuries, and their rights as workers.

In 2011, just under ninety young contestants submitted posters to draw attention to the need to halt preventable teen workplace injuries and deaths. This year MassCOSH expects double that amount of submissions thanks in part to the competition’s statewide media exposure and strong outreach to schools and youth organizations.

“What’s great about this project is now that teens have seen last year’s poster, maybe they will think ‘hey, maybe I could win it this year,’ said Paris.

The 2nd Annual Massachusetts Safe Jobs for Youth Poster Contest runs until February 4, 2012. All posters and entry forms must be postmarked by Saturday, February 4, 2012 and mailed to:

Beatriz Pazos Vautin
Teens at Work Project, OHSP
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
250 Washington Street, 6th Floor
Boston, MA 02108

For full details, please visit www.mass.gov/dph/ohsp/teenpostercontest including tips for creating a winning poster.