Region 1 News Release: 08-546-BOS / BOS 2008-119
April 21, 2008
Contact: John M. Chavezd
Phone: 617-565-2075

West Warwick, R.I., construction safety demonstration held to help kick off
U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA 2008 teen summer job safety campaign

Secretary of Labor unveils campaign during NBC's TODAY show

WEST WARWICK, R.I. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and representatives from Rhode Island government, business, labor and education today held a construction safety demonstration at a residential construction site in support of OSHA's national 2008 Teen Summer Job Safety Campaign, which focuses on construction. U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao unveiled this year's campaign earlier today on NBC's TODAY show from New York City.

"We have a strong and effective relationship with our Rhode Island partners," said Marthe Kent, OSHA's regional administrator for New England. "Through this campaign, we hope to instill a culture of safety at a young age in America's next generation of employees. We look forward to working together to further our mutual goal of ensuring that teens go home safe and healthy at the end of the day."

The kick-off event in West Warwick featured students from the Area Career and Technical Center who are rehabilitating a residential house. Representatives from more than one dozen public and private organizations provided workplace safety and health information and demonstrations. Later in the day, representatives distributed information to those attending the Pawtucket Red Sox game at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I.

Participating in the kickoff were OSHA, the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, the Rhode Island Department of Health, Skills USA, Rhode Island Building Trades, the Rhode Island Committee on Occupational Safety and Health, the Institute for Labor Studies and Research, the Rhode Island Occupational Nurses Association, Associated General Contractors, the Safety Association of Rhode Island, the Association of Rhode Island Workers' Compensation Employers, Beacon Insurance, Operating Engineers Local 57, the Rhode Island Builders Association and Chief Judge George E. Healy Jr. of the Rhode Island Workers' Compensation Court.

The campaign is part of OSHA's Young Worker Initiative, which provides information and resources to teenagers, parents, educators and employers to ensure that youth have safe and rewarding work experiences. To learn more about workplace safety for teens, visit https://www.osha.gov/young-workers.

Workplaces are safer than they have ever been with fatality and injury and illness rates declining to record lows in this administration. The injury and illness rate was 4.4 per 100 employees and the work-related fatality rate was 4.0 fatalities per 100,000 employees in 2006, the latest data available. Since OSHA's inception in 1971, U.S. employment has increased from 56 million employees at 3.5 million worksites to more than 135 million employees at 8.9 million worksites.

OSHA and its regional partners are striving to reduce work-related injuries among teenagers by teaching them on-the-job safety and integration of principles into their work tasks from this early age. Through working with many strong national and regional Alliance Program participants and other cooperative programs, OSHA plans to reach more than three million teens who work during the summer.

U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audiotape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755. The Labor Department is committed to providing America's employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit www.dol.gov/compliance.