Oregon Young Employee Safety O[yes] organizes an annual contest to highlight the dangers often faced by teenage workers. According to NIOSH, from 2009 to 2013, an average of 2 million adolescents age 17 or younger worked during summer months. During this period, 942 occupational fatalities occurred among youth workers, 83% of whom were male. O[yes] works to educate young workers, employers, parents, and labor and trade associations about the risks of fatality and injury to young workers and the rights of young employees. Among other organizations, our Columbia-Willamette and Cascade chapters joined O[yes] to sponsor a video contest with the message of "Speak up. Work safe." The contest produced many submissions from teen filmmakers.
Student group Parkrose High School submitted "The Safety Bros," demonstrating the risks of staying quiet when receiving training. The Safety Bros teach a group of students a dance and slogan to help them remember to work safely. Thanks to the sponsorship of the Columbia-Willamette and Cascade chapters, along with the support and work of many individual ASSP members, students are learning about workplace issues and spreading the message of safety. Is your chapter working with student groups? Inspire others with your chapter's story by sharing it with Society Update.