Improving safety for teens working in the retail trade sector: opportunities and obstacles

Using both quantitative and qualitative data, this study examined teen workers' perceptions about their work environments and the ways in which teens believe workplaces can be made safer.

We conducted telephone interviews (n = 117) and six focus groups (n = 49) with two separate samples of North Carolina teens who worked in the retail trade sector.

Survey findings indicate one-fifth of teens used equipment they thought dangerous; nearly 40% always or often felt rushed at work; and about half received training on how to avoid injury. Teens in the focus groups expressed concerns about workplace physical hazards, the threat of assault, being rushed, and having little power in the work environment. They also indicated that their workplace safety training was ineffective and that child labor laws were unnecessary.

In order to be effective, interventions targeted at working teens need to address the organization of work and adolescent-manager interaction patterns.