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Hazardous task recognition among U.S. adolescents working in the retail or service industry
Author(s) -
Vladutiu Catherine J.,
Rauscher Kimberly J.,
Runyan Carol W.,
Schulman Michael,
Villaveces Andrés
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.20824
Subject(s) - hazardous waste , task (project management) , medicine , service (business) , environmental health , telephone survey , occupational safety and health , work (physics) , human factors and ergonomics , service personnel , marketing , applied psychology , operations management , poison control , psychology , business , engineering , waste management , mechanical engineering , systems engineering , pathology
Abstract Background Although the hazardous tasks adolescent workers perform in service and retail industries are well documented, little is known about the extent to which young workers recognize these tasks as hazardous or dangerous. Methods Using data from a nationally representative cross‐sectional telephone survey conducted in 2003, we examined hazardous task recognition among 858 adolescents working in the retail or service industry. Results Approximately 13% (n = 123) of respondents reported that they consider at least one of their job tasks to be hazardous or dangerous. Among the respondents who performed tasks known to be hazardous, very few actually recognized these tasks as being hazardous or dangerous. Conclusion Working adolescents appear to underestimate the dangers associated with work, thus increasing the potential likelihood of injury. Emphasis should be placed on eliminating or reducing hazards in the workplace while simultaneously improving young workers' recognition of the hazardous nature of many of the tasks they perform. Am. J. Ind. Med. 53:686–692, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.