Potential for violence against teenage retail workers in the United States.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the working conditions of teenagers in five sites, examining the presence of factors associated with workplace violence and considering workers' concerns about safety and training to deal with violent circumstances.


METHODS
Teenage workers, aged 14-17 years, with employment experience in retail industries in five sites (North Carolina; Brockton, Massachusetts; Los Angeles, California; Oakland, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) were questioned. Data in North Carolina were collected by telephone interview. Parallel data from the other sites were obtained using self-administered questionnaires in schools.


RESULTS
Teenage retail workers report experiences that include working alone, at night, and/or without supervisors present. Training about angry customers, robbery, and sexual harassment is less than complete. Yet, teenage retail workers express few concerns about safety.


CONCLUSIONS
Most teenagers work while attending high school, with over half employed in the retail trades. Those working in retail experience higher rates of workplace violence than other workers, mostly during robberies. Working alone and at night are risk factors for violent victimization. Findings indicate areas of potential improvement in child labor practices, particularly with respect to training and supervision.
Runyan
Carol W
CW
Injury Prevention Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Bowling
J Michael
JM
Schulman
Michael
M
Gallagher
Susan Scavo
SS
D000293:Adolescent; D003132:Commerce; D003625:Data Collection; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012449:Safety; D014754:Violence; D017132:Workplace