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Work-related deaths among youth: Understanding the contribution of US child labor violations
Kimberly J Rauscher1,2, Douglas J Myers3,4, Mary E Miller5
1Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, West Virginia University School of Public Health, Morgantown, West Virginia. krauscher@hsc.wvu.edu.
Background:
Evidence shows that violations of the United States (US) child labor regulations are common. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the magnitude and nature of work-related deaths among youth involving violations of US child labor regulations.
Methods:
We analyzed Census of Fatal Occupational Injury data from 2001 to 2012 using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests.
Results:
Between 2001 and 2012, 406 workers under age 18 were recorded in the CFOI as having suffered a fatal work-related injury. Among these cases, 233 were covered by the US child labor regulations. Forty-three percent of these cases involved at least one violation. The majority of cases that were not covered by the regulations involved decedents working on their family's farms (N = 139).
Conclusions:
Violations of federal child labor regulations are a significant contributor to work-related deaths among youth in the United States. Increased investment in enforcement is needed to prevent further young worker deaths involving child labor violations. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:959-968, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
