Workplace violence prevention program for teens gets OSHA grant

Washington – Peer-to-peer training can help teach teens about hazards on the job, including workplace violence, OSHA administrator David Michaels said during a June 24 press event that featured a number of teen peer leaders from across the country.

OSHA announced it has provided a safety training grant for Teens Lead @ Work, a national network of peer education programs founded by four state occupational safety coalitions and the University of California, Berkeley. The program trains teens to educate their peers and co-workers on how to recognize and prevent workplace violence.

Often, little or no workplace violence training is available for young workers, according to OSHA. The agency cited a survey of teen retail workers conducted by the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health that showed 74 percent never received training on workplace violence or health and safety, and 27 percent had experienced a theft at the workplace. The event also highlighted a number of incidents in which teens were shot and killed while on the job.

The Teens Lead @ Work program aims to train more than 500 workers 15-22 years old and at least 30 small retail businesses this year before expanding next year, Justin Caballero, a teen safety peer educator at MassCOSH, said during the press conference.