Young workers across Oregon are encouraged to equip themselves with a new tool to stay safe while on the job: online safety awareness training. Created by the nonprofit Oregon Young Employee Safety Coalition (O[yes]), the interactive training program — accessible by smartphone and tablet — covers everything from finding and controlling hazards, and young worker rights and responsibilities to how to speak up for safety and how to prepare for emergencies at work. The program, which includes a student workbook, can be completed in about 45 minutes. Designed to be flexible, the program does not have to be finished all at once. It features ongoing questions to test participants’ knowledge. Participants who successfully complete the program receive a certificate. Each year in the United States, 59,800 workers age 18 or younger go to the emergency room because of job-related injuries. And workers younger than 25 are twice as likely to be injured on the job as other workers. The factors that contribute to this increased risk include the fact that young workers: * Are more likely to try something they don’t know how to do; * Switch jobs more frequently than adults; * Are motivated to prove themselves; * May not ask questions to avoid looking inexperienced. To access the Young Employee Safety Awareness online training program, go to http://osha.oregon.gov/edu/grants/Pages/oc/oyes-online-training.aspx.
