Work-related injuries and illnesses associated with child labor--United States, 1993

During 1993, an estimated 2.1 million persons aged 16-17 years in the United States were employed. Although many children aged <16 years work, employment data are neither routinely collected nor reported for this age group, and there are no reliable estimates of the number of children in this age group who work. During summer months, when most children are not in school, employment and hours worked by children aged <18 years increase substantially. To characterize workplace-related health and safety hazards for children, CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) analyzed 1993 data for workers aged <18 years from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), a survey administered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), U.S. Department of Labor. This report summarizes the results of this analysis and indicates that substantial numbers of persons aged <18 years sustain work-related injuries and illnesses each year.