title: Adolescent occupational injuries in fast food restaurants: an examination of the problem from a national perspective.
abstract: Work injuries to adolescents are most prevalent in the retail trades industry, with a large portion occurring in eating and drinking establishments (E&DEs). Data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System were examined for nonfatal injuries to adolescents, ages 14 through 17, injured while working in fast food restaurants (a subcategory of E&DEs) from July 1, 1992, to June 30, 1994. There were an estimated 44,765 adolescent injuries in E&DEs, with an estimated 27,997 in fast food restaurants, during this period. The injury rate for E&DEs in the 15 through 17 age group was higher than for all other industries combined (rate ratio [RR] = 1.7), with little disparity in rates between the sexes. This study identifies the fast food industry as the source of a large proportion of occupational injuries to adolescents, and indicates that task-specific risk factors seem to be strongly related to sex.
authors.affiliation: Division of Safety Research, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, W.V., USA.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Hendricks
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Layne
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services; D000367:Age Factors; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D016272:Occupational Health; D012147:Restaurants; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*