When you get a job

There are some very important things for you to know and do. These fact sheets were designed to help keep you and your friends safe at work: Get a job, work safe and Are You a Working Teen. Read this and other info on this site to see how other teen workers (who are just like you and your friends) were hurt or killed while working, and how you can keep that from happening to you. Take our online training to better prepare yourself to begin to learn about safety at work (see below).

Young Employee Safety Awareness online training

This training provides young workers with awareness of health and safety at work. It enhances your understanding of young worker injuries, finding and controlling hazards, the rights and responsibilities they have at work, how to speak up for safety, and how to be prepared for emergencies at work.

You should know

• your rights as a teen worker
• your responsibilities as a worker
• there are laws that protect teens
• what to do if you are hurt at work
• what to do if you have a concern about safety

Publications and other Resources

• Young worker publications page from Oregon OSHA
• Young worker project (PUSH) from the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center.
• Young worker safety from SAIF Corporation
• Get a job, work safe document (PDF) for Oregon young workers.
• Young and new worker information and resources at WorkSafeBC
• Young Workers – Federal OSHA
• Young worker injury statistics and resources from the Oregon Public Health Division

Resources for you

• Fatigue in young workers
  by Bella Giusti Bella Giusti, SAIF safety and health intern 2023 This past spring, I was taking classes, working, volunteering, applying to internships, and socializing. I was struggling to keep up and would find myself falling asleep doing homework or during long shifts. I felt like I wasn’t doing enough compared to my peers, but the truth ...
• Cash for creativity! Media contest is on!
  High school students across the state are encouraged to submit a 30- to 90-second video or a graphic design that persuades young workers to take the Young Employee Safety Awareness online training. The training was developed in a partnership between Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and the Oregon Young Employee Safety Coalition O. A 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will be awarded in ...
• My work experience with the OR-FACE team at OHSU
  By Yewon Na Willamette University ’22Environmental Science & Public Health Major In the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I have had the opportunity to work as a student researcher for the Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (OR-FACE) team under Dr. Ryan Olson’s lab of the Occupational Health Sciences department at Oregon Health and Science ...
• Ending Fight, Flight or Freeze
  A Working Student’s Perspective on Mental Health & ResilienceBy: Denali Sanders Denali Sanders The first time I was forced to confront my own mortality was in my freshman year calculus class. I was feeling amazing until I got my exam 1 results back from the Utah State University testing center, which is when my giant (college freshman-sized) ...
• #KeepTeenWorkersSafe Campaign
  O joins organizations around the country in a campaign to increase awareness and promote workplace safety and health resources for teen workers. During this campaign, you too can share information with other young workers, parents, teachers, and employers! This effort is part of a larger campaign to protect teen workers at their jobs year-round. The ...
• COVID-19 and its impact on young workers
  By Malia Labrousse I distinctly remember the panic that flooded through my body when I heard conflict starting at the register. My coworker, just starting out at her 2nd or 3rd job, had asked a customer politely to put their mask on while ordering. Met with disdain and anger, she tried to recover the situation as ...
• The Virtual Way: 2021 video contest winner
  The winning video entry for our 2021 media contest, Safety – The Virtual Way, was created by a team from Parkrose High School. It reminds us both how to prevent on-the-job injuries and about the top cause of workplace injuries among young workers. We particularly liked how the video demonstrated a work team engaging together ...
• Young adult unemployment hits new low after record high
  The COVID-19 pandemic hit young workers hard for many reasons, unemployment being one. The unemployment rate for workers under 24 soared to 27.4 percent in April of 2020, the highest ever recorded. It rebounded through the course of last year but remains at a record low; 9.6 percent in May 2021, a number that hasn’t been seen since the ...
• Don’t Let Your Safety Stumble: 1st place graphic design winner
  This graphic design winner from Ridgeview High School nicely captured common hazards related to slips, trips and falls with some great images.  You can see the restaurant worker slipping on a wet surface, the health care worker tripping on cords, and the retail worker falling down stairs while carrying a box.  Injuries from slips, trips and falls can be ...
• Media Contest winners revealed!
  O Media Contest and the results are in! For the first time in the contest’s 13-year history, the 2020-2021 contest featured a graphic design category and a new theme. Students were invited to create a 30-90 second video or a graphic design that inspires young workers to think twice ...