Region 4 News Release: 09-379-ATL (095)
April 15, 2009
Contact: Michael Wald
Phone: 404-562-2078

U.S. Labor Department's OSHA to kick off youth job safety campaign April 16 at CEFGA CareerExpo in College Park, Ga.

ATLANTA -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) area offices in Georgia are launching their fifth annual youth job safety awareness campaign on April 16 at the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia (CEFGA) Construction Career Expo.

The event at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park, Ga., will attract more than 5,000 Georgia high school, middle school and technical college students. Participants will include students, teachers, school administrators, parents, industry experts and volunteers.

Careers in construction and related fields are the focus of the two-day event, which will feature 18 different "worlds." Each exhibit will feature machinery, tools, career options and skills needed in that field with experts to answer participants' questions. Attendees are required to treat the expo like a construction site, which means they will be required to wear a hard hat, safety glasses, long pants and closed-toe shoes. Safety will be supervised by industry professionals.

Special events include a new "World of Green" building, SkillsUSA Georgia State Championships and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle's "Innovation in Education" seminar. Cagle will officially open the SkillsUSA Championships with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. EDT on Friday, April 17.

Through this effort and participation in the Georgia Youth Alliance Program with CEFGA, OSHA plans to effectively impact the safety of teen workers. Participants in the local alliance effort also include the Georgia Local Section - American Industrial Hygiene Association, the Georgia Chapter - American Society of Safety Engineers, the Georgia Department of Education and the Georgia Tech Research Institute's Occupational Safety and Health Division.

OSHA's youth safety campaign is part of the agency's Young Worker Initiative, which provides information and resources to teenagers, parents, educators and employers to ensure safe and rewarding work experiences for summer employees. For more information on workplace safety for teens, visit www.osha.gov/teens.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to promote the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

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