Welcome to 2023! Oregon OSHA is excited to kick off the new year alongside the Oregon Young Employee Safety Coalition – O[yes].
Young workers make up a big part of Oregon’s workforce. Nearly 250,000 young employees (ages 16 to 24) work in Oregon, in a variety of industries ranging from hospitality and retail to food service and light manufacturing. In 2021, one in nine jobs in Oregon, or about 11% of all jobs statewide were held by a young employee.
Where do you think Oregon’s young employees are most likely to be working? More than one third (36%) of young workers in Oregon work in one of these ten job areas:
Occupation Percent of Young Workers (Ages 16 to 24) Statewide
Cashiers 43% (15,504)
Retail Salesperson 28% (11, 286)
Cooks 29% (9,221)
Customer Service Representatives 25% (9,035)
Waiters and Waitresses 36% (9,017)
Hand Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Movers 27% (8,586)
Food Preparation Workers 49% (8,568)
Fast Food and Counter Workers 66% (7,977)
Personal Care Aides 17% (6,601)
Stockers and Order Fillers 26% (5,210)

What else do we know? Young workers are heavily employed in Oregon’s food service industry. Nearly 14% of Oregon’s young workers (34,783) hold a job involved in the processing, preparation, or delivery of food. From a safety standpoint, food preparation and food service-related occupations contributes to some of the highest injury rates for young workers in Oregon. Between 2017 and 2021, the most common injury for young workers in Oregon was traumatic injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments, or joints – more than 1,700 worker compensation compensable claims in 2021 alone. Ouch! The second most frequent type of injury for Oregon’s young employees was surface wounds or bruising. These injuries are not only painful, but they often leave the worker unable to return to work or miss workdays, and impact the worker outside of work – school, sports, and other activities.
You have maybe heard how each year young workers get hurt more often at work than do adults. There are several reasons for this. In general, younger workers have less work experience and are generally less likely to recognize workplace hazards or voice safety concerns to their supervisors. Young workers are also more likely to be unaware of their legal protections against unlawful employment practices. (Did you know that you are legally protected by the Oregon Safe Employment Act to raise safety concerns to your boss or supervisor?) This lack of understanding leads many youths to work without adequate training or personal protective equipment and to simply assume workplace injuries are merely unavoidable or even an acceptable part of their job. Oregon OSHA and O[yes] are dedicated to debunking such myths.
Young workers are too important to receive anything less than a safe and healthful workplace free from employer discrimination. This is why Oregon OSHA works hard to develop training and outreach materials specifically tailored to young workers. Each employee injury represents a direct cost to employers and can have a significant, and sometimes life-altering, impact on the workers and their families. Safety must be promoted as an essential element of any job. All workers, including those younger or new to work, need to know that they have the a right to a safe and healthful workplace and that they are legally protected against discrimination and other unlawful employment practices.
Know your rights as a young worker. If you see something unsafe, say something. Speak up and be heard. And be injury free in ’23.