Teens exposed to danger while on the job

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., March 6 (UPI) -- A University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study finds one-third of U.S. teens are not receiving safety training before using dangerous equipment.

The telephone survey of 928 workers ages 14 to 18 found 52 percent of males and 43 percent of females use equipment such as box crushers and slicers, or serve and sell alcohol where it is consumed, despite federal child labor laws prohibiting these practices.

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, also finds 84 percent of females and 61 percent of males handle cash in their jobs, exposing them to risks associated with robberies. Homicides during robberies cause up to one-half of all youth fatalities in the retail trade.

The survey also reveals that despite federal regulations, many teens work longer hours, or past 7 p.m., during the school week.

Study author Carol Runyan, director of UNC's Injury Prevention Research Center, says physicians treating adolescents should ask teens about their jobs as part of standard medical practice.