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Occupational Injuries in Connecticut’s Young Working
Population
Introduction
In the United States…
An estimated 2.1 million adolescents 16-17 years of age are employed
NIOSH estimates that 200,000 teens aged 14-17 are injured on the job every year
60-70 teens die from work-related injuries, hundreds require hospitalization and thousands require emergency room visits
Background
Workers’ Compensation Commission (WCC) data for young workers in Connecticut has not been analyzed in over ten years
Lack of data makes it difficult to identify high-risk and/or specific areas of concern
Limited # of data sources available
Injury prevention initiatives
CT Young Worker Safety Team
Workers’ Compensation Data
Employer’s First Report of Occupational Injury and Illness
How did we get this information?
History of using this data
Clinic’s Bill
Key personnel
Overview
Injury Claims were obtained from WCC
1997-2001
14-17 years of age
1,418 reports used for analysis
Demographic, cross tabs and temporal analyses for injury, industry, and occupation
Limitations
Data may be incomplete for 2001
Specific denominator data for this age group could not be obtained
WCC data does not capture all occupational injuries
Information under reported by employers
Not mandated/Fear of higher insurance costs
Number of Reported Injuries among Young Workers by Gender and Year,
Connecticut, 1997-2001
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Year of Injury
Nu
mb
er
of
inju
red
wo
rke
rs
Females
Males
(Gender was unknown for 17 records)
266
296
416
297
143
Number of Reported Injuries among Young Workers by Age and Year,
Connecticut, 1997-2001
Age in Years 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Total
14 4 5 4 4 5 22
15 5 12 18 12 7 54
16 80 91 145 102 76 494
17 177 188 249 179 55 848
n=1418
Percentage of Reported Injuries among Young Workers by Age and Year of Injury,
Connecticut, 1997-2001
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Age <17 years
Age 17 years
Year of Injury
Perc
en
tag
e
89
177
108
188
167
249
118
17988
55
Unk/NOC
16%
Burn
9%
Laceration
22%
Contusion
17%
Strain or
Sprain
22%
Fracture
3%
Other
11%
Distribution of Reported Injury Types among Young Workers, Connecticut, 1997-2001
n=1418
Number of Reported Injuries among Young Workers by Selected Injury Type
and Age, Connecticut, 1997-2001
Type of Injury14
years15
years16
years17
years Total
Lacerations 3 14 111 187 315
Strains and Sprains
6 14 96 191 307
Contusions 4 9 75 153 241
Burns 0 4 49 77 130
Fractures 1 2 17 22 42
Unknown 4 7 86 124 221
Other 5 3 60 94 162
Number of Reported Injuries among Young Workers by Selected Injury Type
and Gender, Connecticut, 1997-2001
Type of Injury Total % Males
Lacerations 312 72.4
Strains and Sprains 304 58.6
Contusions 237 47.7
Burns 128 51.6
Fractures 41 58.5
Unknown 217 57.6
Other 162 62.3
Total 1401 59.5
(Gender was unknown for 17 records).
Unknown
1%
Other
37%
General
Government
6%
Health Services
7%
Food Stores
12%
Eating and
Drinking
Places
24%
General Merch.
Stores
13%
Distribution of Reported Injuries to Young Workers by Selected Industry Types, Connecticut, 1997-2001
n=1418
Distribution of Reported Injuries in Eating and Drinking Places among Young Workers,
Connecticut, 1997-2001
Other
8%
Fracture
1%
Strain or
Sprain
19%
Contusion
13%
Laceration
27%
Burn
18%
Unk/NOC
14%
Eating and
Drinking
Places
24%
n=339
Distribution of Reported Injuries in General Merchandise Stores among Young Workers,
Connecticut, 1997-2001
Unk/NOC
10%
Burn
0%
Laceration
23%
Contusion
20%
Strain or
Sprain
29%
Fracture
3%
Other
15%
General Merch.
Stores
13%
n=182
Distribution of Reported Injuries in Food Stores among Young Workers, Connecticut, 1997-2001
Unk/NOC
11%
Burn
10%
Laceration
30%
Contusion
13%
Strain or
Sprain
26%
Fracture
1%
Other
9%
Food Stores
12%
n=163
Distribution of Reported Injuries in Health Services among Young Workers, Connecticut,
1997-2001
Unk/NOC
16%
Burn
11%
Laceration
12%
Contusion
18%
Strain or
Sprain
32%
Fracture
1%
Other
10%
Health Services
7%
n=95
Distribution of Reported Injuries in General Government among Young Workers,
Connecticut, 1997-2001
Unk/NOC
25%
Burn
5% Laceration
13%
Contusion
17%
Strain or
Sprain
18%Fracture
5%
Other
17%
General
Government
6%
n=84
Number of Reported Injuries among Young Workers by Selected Industry Type and Gender,
Connecticut, 1997-2001
Type of Industry Total % Males
Eating and drinking places 339 56.3
General merchandise stores 182 59.9
Food stores 163 54.6
Health Services 95 30.5
General government 84 72.6
Unknown 12 66.7
Other 526 65.8
Total 1401 59.5
(Gender was unknown for 17 records).
Distribution of Reported Injuries among Young Workers by Selected Occupation Types,
Connecticut, 1997-2001
n=1418Other
23%Unknown
43%
Convalescent or
nursing home
employee
2% Laborer
15%
Restaurant
worker
11%
Retail store
6%
Number of Reported Injuries among Young Workers by Selected Occupation Type and
Gender, Connecticut, 1997-2001
Occupation Total % Males
Laborer 204 65.7
Restaurant workers 153 55.6
Retail store 84 56.0
Convalescent or nursing home employee
30 23.3
Unknown 604 56.5
Other 326 67.2
Total 1401 59.5
(Gender was unknown for 17 records).
Conclusions
Young workers are suffering from occupational injuries in Connecticut, despite the existence of regulations designed to protect them.
Comprehensive data sources for young worker injuries in the state are lacking.
Conclusions
Need for intervention strategies based upon surveillance data
Males ↑
Lacerations ↑
Sprains & strains ↑
Eating and drinking places
(i.e. restaurants) 2x ↑
Next Steps
Denominator data needed for rate calculations with WCC
Verify 2001 data with WCC
Add 2002 data
Capture-recapture analysis with data from Department of Labor and/or Emergency Department data
Next Steps
Encourage and implement educational programs to train young workers about potential occupational hazards
Possible solutions:
modifying the environment,
use of appropriate protective equipment,
age-appropriate training and supervision, and
increased enforcement of the child labor laws should be considered
